No Injuries as Romanian Plane Crash Lands on Foam

Plane forced to land nose down on bed of foam after landing gear gets stuck
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 28, 2009 6:40 AM CST
No Injuries as Romanian Plane Crash Lands on Foam
A Romanian Carpatair Saab 2000 plane following an emergency landing at the airport in Timisoara, western Romania, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009 .   (AP Photo/Timisoara Airport, HO, Pool)

A plane carrying 51 people made an emergency landing in western Romania today, and all the passengers escaped, after part of the Carpatair flight's landing gear became stuck, the AP reports. The aircraft circled for almost two hours, using up its fuel to avoid a potential fire, officials said, before it landed nose-down on a bed of foam laid out by firefighters.

The Saab 2000 aircraft was carrying 47 passengers and four crew members on its flight from the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, to Timisoara, an airport spokeswoman said. At least 10 ambulances and three fire engines were waiting for the stricken plane. "The plane came down on the side wheels," the airline's vice president said. "It braked sharply, and at a low speed it came on its front belly, while the front landing gear remained stuck." There were no injuries, but passengers were "very scared and traumatized," said an airport spokesman.
(More Romania stories.)

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