A plane landed without nose gear at Belfast International Airport on Friday afternoon after experiencing technical difficulties and circling nearby for more than an hour.
The Flybe flight was scheduled to fly from Northern Ireland's Belfast City Airport to Inverness, Scotland, but landed at Belfast International at about 1:30 p.m. GMT on Friday.
A minor thumb injury was the only result of the landing, which the British Airline Pilots’ Association called a “very difficult maneuver,” the BBC reported.
The Flybe pilots “appear to have done a sterling job,” BALPA tweeted after the landing. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it will send a team to the airport to investigate the incident.
There were 52 passengers and one infant aboard the plane, The Independent reported.
The airport remained open during and after the landing, with the damaged plane on one runway and the other still operational.
Without nose gear, pilots landed the aircraft on the main wheels and held the nose of the aircraft up until the plane could slow down.
“A superb bit of flying on behalf of the flight deck crew,” airport Operations Director Alan Whiteside told the BBC.
“It was stressful for the crew, but it was probably just as stressful for the passengers,” Whiteside added.
Fire crews were on standby during the emergency landing, the BBC reported, but no action was needed. Some flights were delayed after the incident.
Twitter users were nervous but glad everything turned out well.
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