Midwest jet lands safely after glitch

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 21, 2005

BOSTON (AP) -- A jetliner with a landing gear problem touched down safely at Logan International late Tuesday after circling the airport for about two hours.

Sparks could be seen coming from an area near the right landing gear as the aircraft landed just before 10 p.m., but the plane rolled to a stop without incident.

Midwest Airlines Flight 210 had 86 passengers and four crew members on board. Passengers remained on the jet as it was towed to a gate.

Air traffic controllers reported seeing sparks at the rear of the plane after it took off at about 8:15 p.m., bound for Milwaukee, said Laura Brown, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Carol Skornicka, a spokeswoman for Milwaukee-based Midwest, said the pilot noticed a problem with the right landing gear shortly after takeoff.

She said the plane spent a couple of hours circling to burn off excess fuel.

Midwest plans to investigate, she said, adding that federal authorities are also expected to investigate.

The 717 was known as the MD-95 before Boeing acquired it in the 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. Boeing is ending production of the short-haul jet, its smallest passenger plane with capacity for 100, next year.

Tuesday's incident recalled an emergency landing in September in Los Angeles when a JetBlue plane touched down amid smoke and sparks. That aircraft's front wheels had become stuck in a sidways position.