American Airlines flight 1740 was an American Airlines MD-80 operating on June 20 2006 when it was forced to make an emergency landing at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois because the front landing gear was damaged and failed to extend. When it landed, the nose of the plane tipped forward, and the bottom of the plane scraped the tarmac, sending a shower of sparks behind it. No one was injured in the incident. After the pilot flew the plane past the control tower the air traffic controllers confirmed that the landing gear was not down. The pilot then circled the airport for about 45 minutes, pulling off a series of negative G manuvers to try and release the landing gear into the normal locked position. After that failed, the pilot announced over the intercom that the passengers should assume the crash position.
131 passengers and 5 crew were on board the plane, which was en route from Los Angeles. Chicago was its intended destination.<ref name="Reuters"> </ref>

The same plane had been forced to make an unscheduled stop six months ago in Chicago when the landing gear would not retract.<ref name="Trib1"> </ref>

See also

JetBlue Airways Flight 292 - a similar incident, but a different airline and different equipment - this incident yeilded a large amount of media attention while the plane was still air-borne.

References

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External links

Photo gallery from the Chicago Tribune