Chicago Tribune story here
Disabled jet makes safe landing at O’Hare
By Jason Meisner
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 20, 2006, 8:26 AM CDT
No injuries were reported this morning after a disabled American Airlines jet made a safe emergency landing at O'Hare International Airport.
The pilot of American Airlines Flight 1740, which originated from Los Angeles, notified the O'Hare control tower at about 6:15 a.m. that the plane had no working nose gear, Chicago Aviation Department spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban said.
There were 131 passengers and five Chicago-based crew members on board the plane, said John Hotard, a spokesman for American Airlines. Hotard said upon approach to O'Hare, the plane first flew by the tower for a visual inspection.
"There was a flyby in which they passed the tower, but the tower could not confirm whether the nose gear was down," Hotard said.
The Chicago Fire Department instituted a standby response calling five ambulances to the scene and surrounding the runway with emergency equipment, fire Chief Kevin MacGregor said. He said officials confirmed the plane would have to land without its nose gear but decided not to put flame-retardant foam on the runway.
"A foam blanket can make the runway more difficult and slippery to control the landing," MacGregor said.
The plane was able to land safely at about 6:28 a.m. on runway 14-Right, Cabanban said. She said sparks shot up from the metal nose of the plane making contact with the runway, but there was no fire.
"It was an excellent job by the pilot to land that plane," Cabanban said. "All of the passengers were able to deplane the aircraft via the stairs."
MacGregor said paramedics checked the passengers at the scene but no injuries were reported. They were loaded onto a bus and taxied to a terminal, he said. The scene was secured shortly before 7 a.m., he said.
Cabanban said the plane would remain on the runway at its resting point while American Airlines officials inspected the aircraft and investigated the incident. She had no further information on what went wrong with the plane's landing gear.
The runway will remain "inactive" while the investigation continues, she said, but only minimal delays were expected at the airport today as a result.
Tribune staff reporter Charles Sheehan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.