U.S.-bound jet makes safe emergency landing in U.K.
A U.S.-bound Virgin Atlantic jet that developed a stuck landing gear made a safe, "non-standard" landing Monday on the three remaining gears after returning to London's Gatwick Airport.
Television images showed the Boeing 747 on the runway as fire trucks waited nearby.
Flight 43, which left Gatwick at 11:45 a.m. with 447 passengers and a crew of 15, was en route to Las Vegas.
The problem affected part of the jet's right main landing gear, forcing the pilot to land on only three of its four main landing gears, the BBC reports.
The pilot initially tried to "shake" the stuck gear free by thrusting the plane forward rapidly while flying at low altitude, but then chose to return to abort the flight and return to Gatwick.
The pilot dumped some of the jet's fuel offshore then circled off the coast of southwest England and over the London area for almost four hours before landing.
Passenger Mike Kaufman said the crew remained calm and professional throughout the crisis. There were no injuries during the evacuation.
"Everybody gave the crew a big round of applause when we landed," he told Sky News from the plane. "I can't wait to get into the terminal and have a gin and tonic now."
Gatwick airport confirmed the emergency on Twitter, saying that emergency procedures were activated "purely as a precaution."
Contributing: Associated Press