Boeing 767 freight airliner lands in Istanbul runway without its front gear

According to a Turkish Transport Ministry spokesman, a FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 freight plane made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear. No one was hurt, and an inquiry had been started by the authorities.

According to a ministry statement, the aircraft, which was taking off from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, reported to the control tower in Istanbul that its landing gear had broken and, with the tower's assistance, touched down, staying on the runway.

Before landing, airport rescue and fire fighting crews were called in, but no one was hurt. The problem was not explained by the ministry.

The aircraft in question is a Boeing 767 freighter, which is almost ten years old. It is one of the most frequently used cargo aircraft and is derived from the 1980s-vintage 767 passenger variant.

The front of the aircraft brushed the runway, sending sparks and smoke skyward before coming to a stop and being sprayed with firefighting foam, according to video footage that Reuters was able to access. It didn't seem like there was any fire.

According to the SKYbrary aviation database, the pilots were seen in the video holding the plane's nose above the runway for a few seconds after the main wheels had touched down. This appears to be an emergency landing drill in which pilots practice landing with the nose gear retracted.

As part of the ongoing inquiry, teams from Turkey's transport ministry were examining the scene, according to an official, but they did not release any other information.

Boeing sent questions to FedEX, which issued a statement stating that it was in coordination with the authorities conducting the inquiry and would "provide additional information as it is available."