Southwest Plane Loses Landing Gear at LaGuardia

By Paul Thomson :: 10:29 PM

A Boeing 737 belonging to Southwest Airlines experienced a landing gear failure when it touched down at New York’s LaGuardia airport earlier today.

The aircraft’s nose gear collapsed, and the plane tilted forward, skidding along the ground and sending sparks flying. At least ten people, including both passengers and crew members, were injured in the accident.

According to the FAA, the pilot of the plane, inbound from Nashville, Tennessee, had reported possible issues with the landing gear shortly before touching down. 149 passengers and crew were on board when the plane careened to a stop on a grassy area adjacent to the runway it landed on.

Passengers deplaned from the aircraft via emergency chutes at the rear of the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were on the scene and assessing the situation. Airport officials hope to have the plane moved out of the way by early Tuesday morning to return to normal operations on the affected runway.