Dramatic moment JetBlue plane touched down on its nose and sent sparks flying on the runway after its landing gear failed

This is the dramatic moment a JetBlue plane made a hard landing – sending sparks flying on the runway – and was sprayed down by firefighters at an airport in the Bahamas.

Passengers experienced a few tense moments when the Embraer 190, carrying dozens of US tourists, tilted downward and its nose scraped along the runway.
The plane had suffered a nose landing gear failure on approach to the Bahamian capital of Nassau and was quickly surrounded by emergency responders in case it caught fire.

There were no reports of fire or injuries on board flight 29, which was carrying 93 passengers and four crew members from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington County, Virginia, to Lynden Pindling International Airport.
In a statement, JetBlue said the plane’s flight crew reported a landing gear malfunction while en route to the Bahamas.
The plane circled over the island of New Providence for some time as the pilots unsuccessfully tried to resolve the problem.

New York-based JetBlue said the Embraer 190 landed on its main gear with its nose gear partially extended.
Emergency responders were notified of the nose gear malfunction as the plane approached the Bahamas and were on standby when it landed shortly after 4:30pm local time yesterday.
As a precaution, firefighters sprayed the twin-engine aircraft with foam.

Nassau-based pilot Shakeno Munnings, who recorded cellphone video of the landing, said the incident was ‘unbelievable’.
He told 7News that a large crowd gathered to watch the plane land, adding: ‘It was just vehicles coming out of nowhere – ambulances, fire engines, airport vehicles, people rushing, police cars.’ 
He added: ‘It could have been worse. I’ve seen worse, so I’m very thankful everyone was all right.’
A second video shows the plane being tailed by a fire engine after it landed and passengers walking off and boarding buses to transport them to the terminal.

The Bahamian Civil Aviation Department said the crew declared an emergency to Nassau air traffic controllers at about 3:25pm.
The department said in a statement: ‘It was initially determined by CAD and [airport] officials that only the right main gear was extended, and that both the left main gear and the nose gear were not.
‘The pilot in command made a decision to attempt a landing at LPIA, and after burning some fuel, executed a safe landing at 4:36pm, with the use of both the left and right main gear only. The nose gear was not extended. All passengers and crew were determined to be uninjured.’
It commended everyone involved ‘for a job well done’.
The incident resulted in minor delays at the airport until the plane was moved and the runway reopened.
An investigation was launched by the Accident and Investigations Unit of the Bahamas’ Flight Standards Inspectorate. 


(culled from www.dailymail.co.uk)