A Southwest Airlines plane sits on the tarmac as passengers disembark at LaGuardia airport in New York, July 22, 2013, in this photo courtesy of @mattjfriedman and Frank Ferramosca. (Reuters)
The front landing gear of a Southwest Airlines jet collapsed upon landing at LaGuardia Airport sending the nose of the Boeing 737 crashing to the tarmac.
Ten passengers were treated at the scene. Six were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, said Thomas Bosco, Acting Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The six crew members were taken to another hospital for observation.
Southwest Flight 345 hit the tarmac “nose first” shortly before 6 p.m. on Runway 4, sending sparks flying all around the front of the jumbo jet, a source said.
“There was no warning,” the source added, referring to the unexpected crash landing.
Tom Marsala, 54, and his wife, Debra, were at the airport to pick up their daughter, Reena Posten, 21, and her husband, who were returning from Nashville to celebrate their second wedding anniversary.
“She texted us, ‘Our plane just crashed, but we’re all OK,’” said Marsala.
“I said, ‘What?’ I couldn’t believe it,” added Debra.
Port Authority firefighting and rescue units raced to the scene and deployed fire retardant foam before quickly escorting frightened passengers and crew to safety, who descended onto the runway through emergency chutes.
The cause of the mishap was unclear, Soutwest said.
Flights arriving at LaGuardia were being rerouted to Newark and JFK.
“We are gathering details and will post a statement soon,” a Southwest Airlines spokesman said in a tweet.
Additional reporting by Kenneth Garger