(PHIL MESSING)
The pilot of a twin-engine plane carrying 31 passengers made an emergency landing at Newark International Airport this morning after his landing gear malfunctioned, sources said.
The US Air flight was arriving from Philadelphia about 1 a.m. when pilot Ed Powers noticed one of the landing gears was not down, Port Authority sources said. Powers raised the other gear and landed the plane on its belly with sparks flying. No one was injured and PAPD Aircraft Rescue firefighters quickly doused the plane with foam.
Sources said the pilot made a conscious decision to raise the plane’s functioning gears to land on the plane’s belly – lowering the chances of the plane veering off the runway.