NTSB Says Broken Part Caused Rough Delta Landing

UPDATE Jul 11, 2023 6:41 PM CDT

Investigators say a broken part prevented pilots of a Delta plane from lowering the nose landing gear before landing last month in Charlotte, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that it sent the fractured part, called a lock link, to its laboratory for examination. The NTSB said when the upper lock link broke, it allowed the lower lock link to swing down and prevent the landing gear assembly from moving, the AP reports. The NTSB said the pilots of the flight from Atlanta tried several times to lower the landing gear while they circled the Charlotte airport twice to trouble-shoot the problem. Air traffic controllers told the crew they couldn't see the nose wheel. The pilots were able to land the Boeing 717 safely, sliding to a stop on the runway. There were no reports of injuries among the passengers and crew members, who evacuated on slides, but the plane sustained substantial damage.

Jun 28, 2023 11:45 AM CDT

A Delta Air Lines plane made a highly unusual landing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Wednesday morning, but there were no reports of injuries among the 96 passengers and five crew after the Boeing 717 came down without its front landing gear extended. Passenger Chris Skotarczak tells ABC that people on board remained calm as the flight from Atlanta landed. Flight attendants informed passengers they should brace themselves prior to touchdown, but passengers told the network the landing ended up being fairly smooth.

"While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios and flight 1092 landed safely without reported injuries," the airline said in a statement. "We apologize to our customers for what they experienced." Authorities say they are working on removing the plane and reopening the runway. Two other runways at the airport are still open. The FAA is investigating why the nose gear failed to come down during the landing, CNN reports. (More Delta Air Lines stories.)