Carlsbad

Small Jet Lands Without Nose Gear at Philadelphia International Airport

A small jet was forced to land without nose gear at Philadelphia International Airport Thursday evening.

The private corporate plane, a Hawker 4000 owned by Carlsbad, New Mexico-based D & TC, LLC., made the hard landing around 7:30 p.m. along the airport's western side.

After skidding about 1,000 feet to a stop, emergency crews quickly surrounded the plane and sprayed flame-resistant foam around it as a precaution.

Fire officials said five passengers and crew onboard the jet were able to walk off on their own.

While the jet wound up in Philadelphia, that wasn't the intended destination.

The plane took off from Monmouth Executive Airport bound for New Mexico when the pilot realized there was a gear problem, according to airport spokeswoman Mary Flannery.

He radioed Philadelphia's tower to request a flyby and once the tower confirmed the gear didn't come down, the pilot circled around to make the emergency landing.

It's not clear what led to the nose gear issue.

The emergency landing led to delays averaging 60 minutes at the airport, officials said. A ground stop is also in effect until 9:30 p.m. meaning flights heading to Philadelphia are being held at their originating city until that time.

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