Newcastle Airport, Australia: A plane made a successful emergency landing after circling the airport for hours

CNN
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Two passengers and a pilot emerged from a small plane unharmed after it was forced to land without landing gear following a mechanical failure at Newcastle Airport in New South Wales, Australia.

The plane, a Beach B-200 Super King, circled the airport for hours burning fuel before making an emergency landing with “conventional” wheels. CNN affiliate Nine News reported..

The footage shows the plane approaching the runway without activating the landing gear before landing and gliding along the runway until it stops.

Emergency response vehicles were on standby and could be seen in the video racing to assist the plane.

Superintendent Wayne Humphrey of New South Wales Police praised the 53-year-old pilot for executing a successful landing, saying no one was hurt and the passengers were able to return home, Nine News reported.

“It was a great result, and the pilot did a really good job,” Humphrey reportedly said. “I could hear him on the air, and he sounded very calm to me.”

The plane was flying around the airport for several hours in order to burn fuel.

Humphrey said that those who guided the plane to the control room applauded when they saw that it had landed safely.

The plane was scheduled to make a 26-minute flight from Newcastle to Port Macquarie, about 400 kilometers north of Sydney.