June 2, 2008 — The Cyril E. King Airport was shut down from 12:50 to 2:10 p.m. Sunday following the emergency landing of a twin engine Aero Commander aircraft en route from Dominica.
There were no serious injuries in the incident, according to Marc Stridiron, spokeperson for the V.I. Port Authority (VIPA). All five passengers and the pilot exited the plane and were transported to the airport's firefighters' station, where one person was taken to the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital, Stridiron said. The 67-year-old passenger was treated and released, said hospital spokesman Sam Topp.
The emergency landing was necessitated by the left rear portion of the plane's landing gear failing to deploy, Stridiron said. After circling the airport several times in an attempt to rectify the problem, the plane was forced to do a belly landing, he said.
"If the landing gear doesn't fully deploy, you come in for a landing like normal, but instead of landing on the gear … upon touching down you basically skid along the belly of the aircraft to a stop," Stridiron said. "It's a more controlled process than it sounds."
Emergency crews were dispatched to the airfield when the pilot communicated the landing-gear problem. After the plane was removed, an inspection determined that the runway was not damaged and the airfield was reopened, Stridiron said.
Eight arriving flights and three departing flights were delayed by the closure.
The plane is privately owned, according to Stridiron, and it was engaged in a charter flight when the accident happened. The Federal Aviation Administration automatically investigates such mishaps, he said. Stridiron did not disclose the names of the pilot or passengers.
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