Landing gear fails on Southwest Boeing 737 in New York
Jul 22, 2013, 3:22 PM | Updated: Jul 23, 2013, 7:33 am
11 people were reportedly injured after the front landing gear on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 failed to extend at New York's La Guardia airport Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Eleven people were injured Monday after the front landing gear of a Boeing 737 arriving at New York’s LaGuardia Airport collapsed shortly after the plane touched down on the runway.
Reports say the flight from Nashville to New York was uneventful until the gear failed. The plane landed at 5:45 p.m. Monday and safely came to a stop on the tarmac.
Passengers were evacuated from the plane immediately after. The plane, which was carrying 150 passengers and crew, was surrounded by emergency vehicles.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says they have ‘several’ accounts of people reporting physical injuries. The extent of the injuries was not immediately known. Officials say four people suffered anxiety attacks.
The injured included six passengers and five crew members, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said. The nose of the blue-and-orange jet came to rest on the tarmac after the aircraft came to a stop, and passengers evacuated the aircraft on emergency slides, CNN reported.
The airport was temporarily closed, but one of two runways was operating shortly after 7 p.m.
A Boeing spokesman says the company is just gathering information now and had no further comment.
The FAA is investigating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
