Flight F9-3506 of the American low-cost airline Frontier Airlines, operated by an Airbus A321neo aircraft (reg. N607FR), made a hard landing at the airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday evening local time. The incident resulted in landing gear damage, temporary runway closures and panic among passengers after the left engine began to spew flames, the specialized blog for aviation incidents The Aviation Herald reports, reports News.bg.
What does "hard landing" mean?
The term "hard landing" A hard landing describes a landing with a higher-than-normal vertical speed and force of impact between the landing gear and the runway. The causes may be adverse weather conditions, pilot error, or technical problem.
In the case of the Frontier plane, the hard landing impact was severe enough to damage the landing gear, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane, with 228 people on board, touched down on Runway 10 at 9:40 p.m. local time, but the landing was hard and damaged the landing gear. The crew attempted a “go-around maneuver – retaken immediately after the first touchdown on the runway, in order to check the condition of the machine and ensure safety.
During the retake, passengers noticed flames from the left engine, which caused moments of panic on board. The airport later clarified that there was no actual fire, but the incident is under investigation.
Safety measures and second landing
The damage to the landing gear suggests possible structural damage that could jeopardize a second landing. The crew performed a low flyby of Runway 08 to allow ground personnel to visually assess the damage.
Following this inspection, the aircraft made a safe landing approximately 40 minutes later without further incident. The aircraft stopped on a taxiway, where it underwent a technical inspection.
The aircraft remained on the ground in San Juan for at least 17 hours after the incident. An FAA technical inspection and investigation is pending. Frontier Airlines and manufacturer Airbus will have to decide whether the damage allows for on-site repairs or whether it will require transportation to a service base.
Despite the stressful situation, no passengers or crew members were injured, thanks to the quick and adequate response of the pilots and ground staff.
San Juan Airport resumed operations on one runway shortly after the incident. The second runway reopened several hours later after being cleared of debris from the hard landing.