Small Plane Lands Without Landing Gear at Hayward Airport

Update:

A small plane landed without landing gear at the Hayward Executive Airport this morning but no one was injured, an airport manager said. The twin-engine Aero Commander plane was flying to Hayward from San Luis Obispo and came down on the runway without its landing gear deployed at about 10:20 a.m., Hayward airport manager Doug McNeeley said.

The pilot was the only person on board the plane and was not injured. Investigators are still trying to determine why the landing gear was not deployed and whether it malfunctioned or the pilot simply forgot to deploy it, McNeeley said.

The landing did not cause a fire or fuel leak, but the disabled plane forced the closure of one of the airport’s two runways. Disruptions to airport traffic have been minimal, but some jets landing have either been delayed or diverted to other airports, McNeeley said. Airport maintenance staff members are working to move the plane and the runway is expected to be fully reopen by around 12:30 p.m.

The Hayward police and fire departments also responded to the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

Original story:

A small plane landed without landing gear at the Hayward Executive Airport this morning but no one was injured, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. The twin-engine Aero Commander plane came down on the runway without its landing gear deployed at about 10:30 a.m., FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The pilot was the only person on board the plane and was not injured. Gregor did not immediately know the extent of damage to the plane. The FAA is investigating the incident.

By Bay City News

Stock photo of plane via Shutterstock