Three people have walked away unhurt after a light plane made a "textbook wheels-up" emergency landing at Newcastle Airport.
Emergency crews were put on standby after the pilot reported the plane's landing gear had failed just before 10am.
The aircraft then circled above before it made the landing at 12:18pm.
Loading...Its engines appeared to power down as it approached the runway and touched down, eventually sliding to a stop.
There were loud cheers from crowds that had lined the airport's perimeter to watch.
Ambulances and fire trucks raced to the stricken aircraft before the three occupants were seen to walk from the plane.
It is understood the Beechcraft Super King Air operated by Eastern Air Services was 10 minutes into its flight to Port Macquarie when the problem was detected.
More than a dozen fire, police, SES and ambulance crews were on scene, with an operations room set up at the adjoining Williamtown RAAF base.
Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said the room erupted is applause when the landing was safely made.
"We were very happy," he said.
"It was a mechanical failure.
"After some hours in the air burning off some fuel, he [the pilot] made a textbook wheels-up landing, which I was very happy to see … It ended really well, thank goodness."
Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said the pilot was a 53-year old man from Queensland and the passengers were a married couple in their 60s from Tuggerawong on the Central Coast.
"I believe the [passengers] jumped in the car and went home," he said.
The ABC has since spoken to the pilot, Peter Schott, who said he was relieved to have landed the plane safely.
Mr Schott is a highly experienced pilot, who has worked as a trainer for pilots at the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Authorities at first said the runway could be closed for up to 24 hours while the aircraft was recovered.
But the runway was reopened shortly after 6pm, with a Jetstar flight from the Gold Coast touching down at 6:20pm.
Investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) have been briefed on the incident.
In a statement, the ATSB said it was gathering further information, including reports from the pilot and operator.
Newcastle airport has posted about the event on social media, saying: "We're incredibly relieved the aircraft landed safely this afternoon."
The post went on to say, "we're investigating options to recover the aircraft and re-open the airfield as soon as possible".
Passengers have been told to speak directly with their airline about any further questions.
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Rachael Maguire and her daughter Elle came to watch the plane land.
"It was unbelievable … he just couldn't have done better if he had wheels," she said.
Ms Maguire said she was worried about what they were about to witness.
"I knew he'd been dumping his fuel, I was worried about whether or not the plane would hold together all right," she said.
"Not knowing what to expect … I think a little bit of rain before helped it not dig into the runway as much.
"Everyone held their breath and once he got it down everyone was cheering."
Eastern Air Pty Ltd, operating as Eastern Air Services, is headquartered in Port Macquarie.
It operates primarily in New South Wales and Queensland, with regularly scheduled flights using its fleet of turboprop aircraft.
These include scenic flights to Lord Howe Island, including whale-watching flights, as well as freight services.