Plane Lands Gear-Down at Istanbul Airport
A FedEx Boeing 767 cargo jet landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without deploying its front landing gear, as reported by the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
The aircraft, which had departed from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, informed the Istanbul Airport control tower of the landing gear malfunction and landed safely with instructions from air traffic control. No injuries were reported.
According to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Transport, emergency response crews were deployed at the airport as a precaution before the landing. The cause of the technical failure is still under investigation.
The Boeing 767 involved is a nearly ten-year-old cargo aircraft, based on the popular 1980s 767 passenger plane model. In a separate statement, FedEx confirmed they are cooperating with investigators and will provide further information as it becomes available.
The runway where the incident occurred was temporarily closed to air traffic. However, other runways at the airport remained operational, according to a statement from airport operator IGA.
While manufacturers are not typically involved in the day-to-day operations of jetliners once they are in service, Boeing has faced intense media and regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents with its smaller 737 aircraft.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
A Boeing 767 cargo plane crash-landed at Istanbul airport with a loose landing gear
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 8, 2024
The plane belonging to the American postal company Fedex was on a flight from Paris. It landed only at the second attempt and "pecked" its nose into the runway. There were no casualties. pic.twitter.com/d1OsgUrxVq
Ministerul nu a indicat motivul defecţiunii tehnice.
Aeronava implicată este un avion de tip cargo Boeing 767, veche de aproape 10 ani, unul dintre cele mai comune avioane cargo, bazat pe modelul avionului de pasageri 767 care datează din anii 1980.
FedEx a precizat într-un comunicat că se coordonează cu autorităţile de anchetă şi că va „furniza informaţii suplimentare pe măsură ce acestea vor fi disponibile”.
Pista a fost închisă temporar pentru traficul aerian, dar celelalte piste ale aeroportului au funcţionat în regim obișnuit, a declarat operatorul aeroportului IGA.
Producătorii nu sunt de obicei implicaţi în operarea sau întreţinerea avioanelor cu reacţie odată ce acestea intră în serviciu, dar Boeing a fost supus unei intense monitorizări din partea presei şi a autorităţilor de reglementare în urma unei serii de incidente cu avionul său mai mic 737.
