Dec. 15, 2003 – The Cyril E. King Airport runway was closed for more than an hour on Monday evening after the landing gear on a Cessna twin-engine aircraft failed as the plane was on final approach to touch down.
Aviation sources said no injuries were reported to the pilot and two passengers. The privately owned aircraft was on a so-called "local flight" around St. Thomas and was on final approach when Federal Aviation Administration personnel in the control tower were notified of "landing gear difficulties."
The airport was closed from 6 p.m. until 7:16 p.m. as the plane came in for an emergency landing and crews worked to cleared the disabled aircraft from the runway. There were no major delays in regularly scheduled takeoffs or arrivals as a result of the mishap, the sources said.
The names of those aboard the plane and its owner could not immediately be determined.
Less than three weeks ago, at mid-day on Nov. 25, a similar landing-gear problem forced an Air St. Thomas plane, also with a pilot and two passengers aboard, to make an emergency landing at King Airport. There also were no injuries reported in that incident, which resulted in the airport being closed for about an hour until the aircraft was towed from the landing site.
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