Pilot's Leg Injured After FedEx Plane Makes Spark-Filled Touchdown Without Landing Gear at LAX
Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty FedEx plane
The pilot of a FedEx airplane was injured after a mechanical issue forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport early Wednesday.
The aircraft, a Boeing 767, experienced a landing gear malfunction while touching down at the airport around 4:50 a.m. local time, Ian Gregor, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, told PEOPLE in a statement.
"The crew was unable to extend the left main landing gear before landing on Runway 25R," the statement said.
Two people were on board, none of whom were passengers, and an adult male was taken to the hospital with a non-life threatening leg injury, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news alert.
RELATED: Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing in NYC Following a Mechanical Issue
The man was a pilot who sustained the injury as he evacuated the aircraft, the airport said on Twitter.
UPDATE: LAFD transported to the hospital one pilot with a non-life threatening leg injury that was sustained during evacuation. https://t.co/1EVeYT43TA
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) August 19, 2020
“We are grateful that our flight crew is safe and that no one was seriously injured,” a spokesperson for FedEx tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Safety is our top priority, and we are working with investigators to fully understand the matter.”
Video captured of the scary scene showed sparks flying out from the bottom of the plane as it skidded down the runway, CW affiliate KTLA reported.
Gregor said that plane had departed from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and that the Los Angeles runway was closed until the aircraft was removed.
The FAA will investigate, he added.
