Update 7:22 pm:
Four passengers aboard Southwest Flight 345 suffered anxiety attacks when the plane’s front landing gear collapsed on arrival at LaGuardia Airport on Monday evening.
The crash-landing has caused significant delays at New York airports, as well as others around the country. One of the airport’s two runways will reopen before 7:30. However, Runway 4 will be closed indefinitely because of the accident.
Emergency crews sprayed foam as a precaution, though there was no fuel leak. Lisa MacSpadden of Port Authority also stated that a wheel popped off the Southwest Airlines flight’s front landing gear after it touched down.
While four passengers suffered anxiety attacks, there are also several passengers who were taken to the hospital with back pain and other injuries. There is no word on how many possible injuries there were.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Federal Aviation Administration spokewsoman Kathleen Bergen wrote in an email that the Boeing 737 “reported possible landing gear issues before landing.” All passengers aboard the damaged Southwest Flight were deplaned using the aircraft’s emergency slides.
As the plane reported potential landing gear problems before touch down, it is not yet clear whether or not passengers were told to brace for impact. More information should be available soon.
Update 7:05 pm:
The FAA has confirmed that LaGuardia Airport is not closed following an incident involving a Southwest Airlines flight. However, the airport is not currently accepting incoming flights. A total of 143 passengers and five crew members were on board Flight 345 when it appeared to lose its landing gear on arrival.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane begin to land normally with its rear landing gear touching the ground. However, when the front wheel touched the ground, it collapsed.
From there, witnesses claimed the Southwest plane slid on its nose, throwing sparks up, until it came to a stop. all flights going to LaGuardia will be held on the ground until 8 pm, per the FAA.
The NTSB also announced via Twitter that it will investigate the Southwest flight’s landing gear issue. A press conference from the port authority will happen soon.
Update 6:50 pm EDT:
LaGuardia Airport is open following the apparent crash landing of a Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville, Tennessee. The airplane, a Boeing 737, appeared to slide down the runway after losing its front landing gear.
While the airport is reopened, the FAA has said to expect significant delays while crews work to rescue passengers and tend to any injuries. All three injuries reported so far are said to be minor.
Several witnesses have taken to Twitter to show photos of the damaged Southwest Airlines plane. Some of their tweets are shown below.
Original Article:
A Southwest plane’s landing gear collapsed while landing at LaGuardia Airport on Monday. The incident happened just before 6 pm local time, according to witnesses. At least three people were hurt in the incident, but their injuries are apparently minor.
Police and ambulances immediately responded to the apparent crash landing as witnesses reported watching the plane lose part of its landing gear.
Southwest released a statement via Twitter about the incident, writing, “Standby for more information regarding #Flight345 BNA-LGA. We are gathering details and will post a statement soon.”
Several photos and videos of the Southwest plane were posted to Twitter by witnesses, who explained they were watching the plane’s passengers evacuate using emergency slides. Firetrucks were also on the scene of the accident.
@SouthwestAir plane just emergency landed, pictures from the ground @weeddude pic.twitter.com/mmuIvanH75
— Matthew Friedman (@mattjfriedman) July 22, 2013
The Southwest flight that lost its nose gear was landing from Nashville. The accident has closed LaGuardia Airport for the time being.
Monday’s incident is the second plane with an issue on landing this month. An Asisna Airlines flight struck a seawall and crash landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6. Three people were killed and almost 200 more were injured.
#SW Airlines nose gear collapses on landing at #LaGuardia airport. No serious injuries. pic.twitter.com/57uuj2bjkg
— jim hoffer (@NYCinvestigates) July 22, 2013
This is a breaking news article and will be updated as more information is made available.
[Featured image by Bobby Abtahi via Twitter ]