Sparks and smoke trailed the nose of a FedEx cargo jet as it scraped down a runway at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday morning, according to video obtained by Reuters. Nobody has said the crew was in serious danger, but the footage shows how close the landing came to going wrong.
FedEx Express Flight 6268, a Boeing 767, was flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport when it told the Turkish control tower that its landing gear would not open. Airport rescue and fire teams prepared the runway. The tower told the crew to go ahead with the landing, the Turkish transport ministry said.
In the video, the front wheels appear to have been down at first but did not seem to lock. They played no part in the landing, since the body of the aircraft touched the runway. The jet stayed on the runway until it stopped, and firefighters then covered it in foam.
Runway closed, investigation open
Airport operator IGA said the runway was shut for a time, while traffic on the other runways continued without interruption. A Turkish transport ministry official said authorities are investigating. The ministry gave no reason for the failure.
FedEx told Reuters it was coordinating with the investigation and would “provide additional information as it is available.” FOX Business asked Boeing for comment, and the company deferred to FedEx. Manufacturers are not typically involved in operating or maintaining aircraft once they enter service.
The aircraft is a freighter nearly 10 years old, built on a model dating back to the 1980s and among the most common cargo planes in service. It lands in a stretch when Boeing is under intense media scrutiny after a series of incidents with its aircraft in recent months.
