A plane has performed a successful emergency landing without its landing gear lowered at Newcastle airport in New South Wales, Australia.
Emergency crews were on standby after the pilot reported the plane’s landing gear had failed just before 10am.
The plane (registration VH-XDV) had been circling above Newcastle for almost four hours with three people onboard, including the pilot, after discovering the mechanical issue almost immediately after departing for a flight to Port Macquarie.
Authorities had been bracing for a fiery emergency, with more than a dozen crews including fire trucks, police, the State Emergency Service and ambulances at Newcastle airport. An operations room had been set up at a nearby defence base at Williamtown.
The plane circled the airport for four hours as it burned fuel before attempting the dangerous landing in rain and low visibility.
Ambulances and fire trucks raced to the stricken aircraft before the three occupants were seen to walk from the plane.
