In a remarkable display of skill and luck, a small aircraft carrying two passengers and a pilot narrowly averted disaster at Newcastle Airport in New South Wales, Australia. The harrowing incident unfolded when the plan encountered a mechanical failure, leaving it without functioning landing gear. Shortly after take-off from Newcastle Airport at around 8.30 am on Monday, the pilot, Peter Schott, a resident of Queensland, reported about the mechanical issue within the aircraft.
The aircraft, Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, was en route to the nearby town of Port Macquarie. After circling the airport to burn off fuel, Schott executed a “textbook” wheels-up landing, as reported by 9News.
Video footage capturing the heart-stopping incident is circulating widely on the internet, revealing the dramatic moment when the plane approached the runway without its landing gear activated. The tense scene unfolds as the aircraft touches down and skids along the tarmac before finally coming to a stop. In the video, emergency response vehicles on the standby can be seen racing to aid the stricken plane.
Amazing landing today at Australia's Newcastle Airport by a pilot of twin-turboprop Beechcraft Super King with NO LANDING GEAR! The landing gear failed but the plane was still landed safely, saving 3 lives! pic.twitter.com/mACl1zKZNz— Greg J. Marchand MD (@MarchandSurgery) May 14, 2024
The two passengers onboard the aircraft were a 60-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, both hailing from Tuggerah on the Central Coast.
In an exclusive interview to 9News, Pilot Schott shared his insights into his calculated approach during the emergency, stating, “I would have done this exercise for students, I don’t know 200, 300 times, so it was quite textbook.” He emphasised the importance of risk minimisation, explaining, “So, I had a figure in the back of my mind of how much fuel I wanted on board for the least risk, and I just circled.” “So, I got that figured about an hour before I started preparing for the landing,” he added.
Following the successful outcome of the landing, Superintendent Wayne Humphrey from NSW police lauded the 53-year-old pilot, highlighting that all the passengers emerged unharmed and were even able to return to home. He also noted that applause filled the command station when the aircraft landed safely. Humphrey remarked, “It was a great result, really well done by the pilot. I could hear him on the air, he sounded very calm to me.”
All flights departing from the airport will be cancelled as it remains closed for about 24 hours to retrieve the plane. Eastern Air Services has affirmed that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will conduct an investigation into the incident.