Delta plane passenger captures moment plane touches down safely without front landing gear
A passenger aboard a Delta flight that made a safe landing without front landing gear captured the moment the plane touched down on the runway.
We may mock the idea of clapping when the plane lands but in this case a hearty round of applause was entirely warranted after a flight made it safely back down to the ground despite the lack of landing gear.
Delta Airlines fight 1092 had taken off from Atlanta on 28 June and was due to land at the Charlotte-Douglass International Airport in North Carolina when it encountered problems.
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A pilot on board the Boeing 717 told air traffic control they'd suffered a 'nose-wheel unsafe indication', with the North Carolina airport later saying the plane had suffered from a 'mechanical issue' in a statement.
With 96 passengers, three crew members and two pilots on board the plane, an emergency was declared and the crew informed the passengers of the situation, before the pilots attempted a landing without the front gear deployed.
Thankfully the pilots were able to land the plane safely and there were no injuries sustained by anyone on board the 717.
Passengers got to disembark the flight using the inflatable slides but not before offering up a round of applause for their pilots.
Footage of the moment the plane made a landing was captured by one of the passengers on board the Delta flight as they filmed the plane getting closer and closer to the runway, before making a noisy impact with the tarmac.
The moment when the front of the plane touched the ground could be heard as a loud scraping noise sounded throughout the cabin and those on board could hear the bottom of the 717 grinding against the runway.
Despite all of this, the plane made a safe landing and when it came to a halt, the footage the passenger took captured a grateful round of applause from those on board.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people," A spokesperson for Delta told UNILAD in a statement about the emergency landing.
"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. We apologize to our customers for their experience."
Other passengers on board the plane also filmed their experience, showing passengers bracing for impact only to say that actually touching down on the ground was 'not bad at all'.
A woman who's son was on the plane took to social media to say that the pilots did a 'phenomenal job' in getting the plane down with everyone on board uninjured and as safe as possible.
Joe Harker