July 24, 2008, — Emergency crews at Cyril E. King Airport will be glad for some quiet time after a busy Wednesday.
In less than two and one half hours, two aircraft needed emergency response from the airports' firefighters and first responders.
The first incident involved a DC-3 cargo plane, which had smoke coming from one of its two engine areas.
"There was a small fire, and it was quickly extinguished," said Stuart Diamond, chief executive officer and co-owner of Four Star Air Cargo. The fire was so small that there were even hopes that the engine was not ruined, Diamond said.
The second incident involved a private plane carrying five adult passengers and one pilot. The plane departed from Dominica and landed without its landing gear, according to Kenn Hobson, the V.I. Port Authority's interim executive director.
According to a release from the Port Authority, the pilot notified the air-traffic control tower that the airplane was experiencing hydraulic problems and was unable to fully deploy its landing gear. The tower closed the airfield to incoming and outgoing traffic, and Port Authority Airport Rescue and firefighting crews prepared for the emergency landing.
The twin-engine Piper Aztec landed at approximately 1:33 p.m.
"The aircraft made a controlled landing on its belly with its nose gear engaged and its left and right main gear unengaged," said airport Manager Jose Nazario, according to the release. "The aircraft skidded safely to a stop in the eastern quarter of the runway.
There was no explosion or fire."
No injuries were reported for either of the incidents.
The Four Star flight was able to taxi off the runway, allowing airport operations to continue, but the Aztec caused flights from major airlines to be diverted for about one and one half hours, Hobson said. Smaller carriers were able to land.
The runway reopened at 2:55 p.m., according to the release.
Four Star is one of two airlines that carry the Virgin Islands' mail to Puerto Rico for processing. While this airplane is repaired there will be no impact to mail service in the territory, Diamond said.
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discovered some corrosion during a ramp inspection of one of Four Star's planes. Four Star took the plane out of service to correct the issue. The Source erroneously reported that the FAA had directed the grounding of the plane, but the decision was entirely Four Star's, according to Diamond.
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