March 6, 2008
U.S. Coast Guard jet makes safe emergency landing at Purdue airport
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A U.S. Coast Guard jet with three crew members aboard made a safe landing at the Purdue University Airport about 1 p.m. Thursday (March 6) after a landing gear light in the cockpit malfunctioned.The Falcon 20 aircraft, coming from its home base at the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Ala., was already scheduled to land at the airport to take on fuel before returning to Mobile, airport director Betty Stansbury said. The crew was on a training mission.
Just before noon, the flight crew members radioed to inform air-traffic control that as they activated the landing gear, a light in the cockpit indicated the gear was not locked into place.
"Usually in these instances, the problem is with the light and not the landing gear, but they couldn't be sure," Stansbury said. "So, they circled the airport for about an hour to use excess fuel before attempting to land."
Purdue police and firefighters, along with the Wabash Township Volunteer Department, an additional Tippecanoe County ambulance crew, and staff from Purdue physical facilities were on the scene as the jet safely landed without any landing gear problems.
One of the three crew members aboard the flight was a Purdue University graduate. The crew members' names were not released, per U.S. Coast Guard regulations.
Stansbury said the jet's landing gear would undergo a thorough examination before the plane left the airport.
Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu
Source: Betty Stansbury, (765) 743-3442, bmstansbury@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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