An El Al Boeing 777, flight LY 027, which departed at 1:34 am last night from Ben Gurion Airport to Newark with 259 passengers, was forced to return and make an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport due to a fault in the landing gear.
The plane circled for three hours after notifying about the fault, to use up fuel before making the emergency landing to avoid a possible fire. Another reason for the circling was to enable the plane to land at daybreak, at 5:20 am.
The captain told the passengers that there was a problem in the left wheel well, which required landing. While the plane circled over the sea, Air Force jets were scrambled to try to see the fault. One jet flew beneath the El Al plane to try to assess the risk of landing.
Ben Gurion Airport was alerted to the fault at 2:30 am, at which point the airport went on stage 2 emergency alert - a problem in a plane with concern about its safety and that of its passengers.
Israel Airports Authority director general Koby Mor and Ben Gurion Airport manager Shmuel Kandel arrived immediately at the scene, to be joined by other airport officials.
Fire and Rescue Services arrived at the airport very quickly, including 60 ambulances, 40 fire engines with ladders, and police cars.
Mor told "Globes", "After all the preparations, the plane asked to land and received permission from the control tower, after which there silence on the radio. The tension was great. It was amazing. The plane entered and landed safely. The pilot did very good work."
Mor added, "There appears to have been a fault, but not something that disrupted the landing. The plan landed and taxied with the passengers, who disembarked safely. Passengers told me that there was no panic in the air. The plane's crew, explained matters to the passengers, updated them, and calmed them down."
The Airports Authority is pleased by handling of the incident, saying that it was exemplary, partly because other planes continued to land during the incident.
El Al captain Amos Mohar, the airline's chief of air and flight operations, told "Globes" about the mood in the plane during the flight. "The pilots were in constant contact with the passengers directly and through the PR system. There were four pilots who entered the passenger cabin and spoke with some of the passengers. There was no panic and some of the passengers even fell asleep. Everything was thanks to the conduct of the crew."
"Globes": What was the cause of the fault?
Mohar: "Technical faults happen. This is the newest plane in the aviation world. The plane will be repaired, and there will be an investigation into how it happened. This is something that can happen to any new machine, even on its first day of operation."
El Al said in response that, in accordance with its safety procedures, Captain David Kenet and Captain Eyal Peled returned to land the plane at Ben Gurion Airport, while the airport prepared for an emergency landing. "The plane circled in the air and emptied its fuel tanks to land in daylight and reach the proper landing weight. At 5:50 am, the plane landed safely by a regular landing, and the passengers were transferred to an alternative plane prepared for them by El Al. The flight departed for New York at 9 am. Passengers who asked to switch to alternative flights were transferred to El Al flights for later in the day. The plane is being handled by El Al's maintenance staff at the airline's hangar at Ben Gurion Airport," said El Al.
El Al added, "At no time was there any danger to the passengers or plane. El Al places paramount importance to flight safety, and does not compromise on this matter in any way."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 23, 2011
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