Video from Istanbul Airport shows sparks and smoke as the nose of a FedEx cargo jet scrapes along the runway. The Boeing 767 had come down on its rear wheels first, then dipped forward onto the front of its fuselage.
FedEx Express Flight 6268 was on the last leg from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Istanbul on Wednesday when its pilots found the front landing gear would not open, state-run Anadolu Agency said. The crew told the Turkish control tower. Airport rescue and fire teams prepared the runway, and the tower cleared the crew to land.
Nobody was hurt. Turkey’s transportation and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said the crew evacuated the aircraft safely. The runway was closed while the jet was removed.
A Turkish Transport Ministry official said authorities are investigating, and gave no reason for the failure.
The aircraft is a freighter just under 10 years old. The 767 is one of the most common cargo planes flying, and its design dates to the 1980s. FOX Business asked Boeing for comment, and the company referred questions to FedEx. Manufacturers are generally not involved in operating or maintaining aircraft once they enter service.
The incident arrives while Boeing remains under heavy media scrutiny after a series of problems with its aircraft in recent months.
Sources
- FedEx Airlines, Boeing-made plane forced to land in Istanbul without front wheels
- Boeing cargo plane lands on its nose after front landing gear fails
