Newark Airport closed temporarily after emergency landing
Passengers walk in the dark during a power outage at Newark Airport on Feb. 7, 2011, caused by an electrical failure at a switching station in Elizabeth, NJ.
New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport was closed temporarily this evening when an airplane was forced to make an emergency landing, Reuters reported.
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While still in the air, about ten minutes away from Newark, the pilot of United Shuttle Flight 5124 from Atlanta alerted air traffic controllers that there was a problem with the plane’s front wheel, FAA spokeswoman Arlene Sarlac told NBC New York. A warning light indicated malfunctioning gear, and the pilot announced he would make an emergency landing.
Newark crews foamed the runway in preparation, Sarlac told NBC New York. When the Embraer 170 plane touched down, the nose gear collapsed.
Passengers exited the plane on emergency chutes, but a spokesman for the Port Authority said there were no injuries among the 71 people aboard, Reuters reported.
Two of the airport’s three runways were able to reopen within an hour of the emergency landing, according to Reuters.
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