A light plane with three people aboard made a safe emergency landing without landing gear at Newcastle Airport in Australia. The pilot, Peter Schott, along with a 60-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, landed the twin-turboprop Beechcraft Super King Air after circling the airport for almost three hours to burn off fuel. Despite facing challenges such as bad weather and bird hazards, Schott remained calm and confident in his ability to land the plane safely. All three occupants of the plane walked away unharmed and did not require hospitalization.
Peter Schott, who has been flying since he was 15, expressed his confidence in the outcome of the flight, stating that he never doubted his ability to land the plane safely despite the landing gear issues. Passenger Michael Reynolds praised the pilot for his calm demeanor throughout the ordeal, emphasizing that he did an excellent job in handling the situation. The plane had just taken off from Newcastle for a short flight to Port Macquarie when the pilot raised concerns about the landing gear, prompting the emergency landing at Newcastle Airport.
The emergency landing was completed without incident, with the plane touching down on the tarmac around three hours after taking off from Newcastle. Emergency services, including fire engines and ambulances, were on standby to assist with the situation. The plane is owned by Eastern Air Services based in Port Macquarie, but the company did not provide immediate comment on the incident. Aviation safety expert Ron Bartsch commended the pilot for his skillful landing, noting that the decision to return to Newcastle was likely based on the airport’s better emergency response resources.
Bartsch explained that the pilot would have followed safety procedures such as shutting off fuel and electricity to reduce the risk of fire during a belly-up landing. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will be conducting an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the landing gear failure. While the runway at Newcastle Airport will remain closed for 24 hours for assessment, preliminary observations suggest that the damage to the tarmac is superficial, according to police Superintendent Wayne Humphrey. Overall, the successful outcome of the emergency landing was attributed to the pilot’s skill and composure under pressure.
