Plane lands safely without any landing gear thanks to pilot’s incredible reaction
- Thanks to the skill and calm approach of the pilot, a plane touched down safely without landing gear
- It was forced to circle an Australian airport for three hours to burn off fuel
- The wheels-up landing was described as ‘textbook’
Published on May 23, 2024 at 3:22 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on May 24, 2024 at 6:32 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Both pilot and passengers walked away from a plane unscathed after it touched down without any landing gear.
The plane had just taken off from Newcastle Airport, near Sydney, bound for the 180-km (112-mile) flight north to Port Macquarie, New South Wales.
The pilot raised the alarm about ‘issues with the landing gear’, per police superintendent, Wayne Humphrey.
READ MORE! Pilot performs unbelievable maneuver landing Airbus A380 nearly sideways
Despite the potential peril, the pilot said he ‘never had any doubt in the outcome’ and chose to circle an Australian airport for almost three hours to burn off fuel.
The two passengers in their sixties onboard were full of praise, revealing their ‘wonderful’ pilot, 53-year-old Peter Schott, remained ‘100 percent calm’ during the ordeal, which could have ended up very differently.
The plane took off from the airport at about 8.30 am on May 13.
He landed on the runway three hours after its departure by killing the engine and gliding down at 12.20 pm local time.
Schott first piloted a plane when he was just 15 years old.
Following a ‘textbook wheels-up landing’, nobody required hospital treatment following the mechanical failure.
And you can see the sheer scale of the landing gear on a Boeing airplane here – the size might surprise you.
Schott spoke to Nine News television following the incident aboard a twin-turboprop Beechcraft Super King Air plane.
“Everything was thrown at us – bad weather, the showers came through, there were about 20 pelicans downwind, you know, bird hazards,” he said.
And it’s not the first time weather has caused aviation chaos, with a Boeing 747 captain tackling extreme crosswinds during a landing.
The plane is owned by Port Macquarie-based Eastern Air Services.
They did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s thought Schott turned the plane around to go back to Newcastle because of its incredible emergency response resources.
Emergency services, including multiple fire engines and ambulances, were on standby at the scene.
“I’ll have a wine, I think,” Schott told reporters after everyone was safely on the ground.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the incident.
If you want to see more incredible landings check out the cockpit view of an F-18 landing on an aircraft carrier with undefeated precision.
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London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
