Delta Airlines flight with passengers aboard lands 'smoothly' on NOSE

Delta Airlines Boeing 717 makes ‘smooth’ emergency landing in North Carolina after its front landing gear FAILED to deploy – but none of its 96 passengers or five crew were injured

• The flight was scheduled to land after taking off at 7.25am from Atlanta
• Passengers and crew were taken off the plane and into the terminal smoothly
• Delta has apologized to their customers and staff for the experience 

A plane landed nose-first with almost 100 passengers on board after its landing gear malfunctioned as it prepared to touch down.

The Delta flight 1092, a Boeing 717, had taken off from Atlanta at 7.25am and was scheduled to land at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday morning.

Shocking pictures show the plane leaning forward onto its nose as dozens of emergency service scrambled to help passengers and crew members.

But miraculously none of the 96 passengers or five Delta employees were injured in the incident. 

The plane managed to land with its nose gear in the ‘up’ position, and come to a safe stop on the runway. An investigation into what caused the malfunction has begun. 

The Delta flight 1092, a Boeing 717, had taken off from Atlanta at 7.25am and was scheduled to land at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday morning

The runway the plane landed on was closed Wednesday until the aircraft could be moved to a safer location

Airline officials confirmed that staff were aware of the malfunction as they prepared for landing, and began to climb again. 

In a statement, Delta said: ‘Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people.

‘While this is a rare occurrence, Delta flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios and flight 1092 landed safely without reported injuries. 

‘Our next focus is to take care of our customers on this flight, including retrieving their bags and seeing them to their final destination.’

The pilot told the tower at Charlotte Douglas that 104 people were on the plane, with the flight circling a few times before managing to land. 

As of 10:15 a.m., there were 72 delays and 21 cancellations at Charlotte Douglas caused by the malfunctioning plane landing

Passengers were asked to get into the brace position as staff reiterated safety information, but told WSOC-TV that they had a ‘smooth’ landing

An emergency slide was deployed to get passengers off the plane and onto the tarmac safely 

Passengers were asked to get into the brace position as staff reiterated safety information, but told WSOC-TV that they had a ‘smooth’ landing. 

One said: ‘The crew told us there was an issue with the landing gear and instructed us to go over safety information.

‘We came in low once and then climbed again. The second time had us brace but the landing was smooth. No jarring or even loud noises. 

‘We were in the back so that may have been why. Everyone evacuated via slides. No injuries as far as I know. Crew and pilots were wonderful!’

The runway the plane landed on was closed Wednesday until the aircraft could be moved to a safer location.

As of 10:15 a.m., there were 72 delays and 21 cancellations at Charlotte Douglas caused by the malfunctioning plane landing. 

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