A cargo aircraft made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday after its front landing gear failed to deploy but managed to stay on the runway, with authorities saying they had launched an investigation.
The Boeing 767 belonging to FedEx Express used the back landing gear and then dipped its nose with the front portion of the fuselage, according to a video on social media.
The plane was on the last leg of its flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul when the pilots realized the front landing gear failed to open, Anadolu Agency (AA) said.
Pilots informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport and landed with guidance from the tower, the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry said in its statement.
Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations before landing, the ministry also said. Authorities gave no reason for the failure.
The aircraft involved is a nearly 10-year-old Boeing 767 freighter, one of the most common cargo planes and based on the 767 passenger model dating back to the 1980s.
Video footage showed sparks flying and some smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before coming to a halt and being doused with firefighting foam. No fire appeared to have broken out.
The pilots held the plane's nose above the runway for several seconds after the main wheels had touched the ground, apparently executing the emergency drill for landing with a retracted nose gear that pilots train for, according to the SKYbrary aviation database.
No one was injured and the crew safely evacuated the aircraft, said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
"Istanbul Airport is one of the most comprehensive and qualified airports in the world. So, a disruption on any runway does not affect flights. Flights continue," said Istanbul Governor Davut Gül.
The runway was temporarily closed to air traffic, but other runways at the airport operated normally, its operator IGA said.
"The situation was effectively managed before the planned fuselage landing, thanks to the swift action of ARFF (Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting) teams stationed on the runway, ensuring no casualties occurred," IGA said in a statement.
An official from the transport ministry told Reuters its teams were conducting examinations at the scene as part of the ongoing investigation, but did not provide further details.
Boeing referred queries to FedEx, which said in a statement it was coordinating with investigation authorities and would "provide additional information as it is available."
In June last year, a small 22-year-old Boeing 717 flown by Delta Airlines made a similar smooth landing without a nose gear in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an incident later blamed on a fractured component.
Manufacturers are not typically involved in the operation or maintenance of jets once they enter service, but Boeing has been under intense media and regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents on its smaller 737.
Boeing decided to overhaul its management this year amid mounting pressure from airlines, regulators and investors as it grapples with a growing crisis following a January mid-air panel blowout on a 737 Max plane.
