Myanmar pilot lands plane without front wheels

PanARMENIAN.Net - A pilot in Myanmar is being hailed as a hero after landing a plane Sunday, May 12 on only its rear wheels, after the passenger jet's landing gear failed, CNN reports.

Myanmar Airlines Flight 103 was headed from Yangon to Mandalay when the pilot discovered the problem.

In a statement, the airline said pilot Captain Myat Moe Aung "followed emergency procedures and did the fuel burn out to reduce the landing weight," before bringing the jet down onto its rear wheels, lowering the nose carefully onto the runway on which it skidded for about 25 seconds before stopping.

There were no casualties or injuries from the incident, the airline confirmed.

Video from inside the plane showed smoke rising from underneath as passengers scrambled to disembark.

Following the incident, emergency vehicles surrounded the plane as it rested on its nose on the tarmac.

"The pilot did a great job," Win Khant, Myanmar's transport minister, told Reuters.

Sunday's emergency landing comes days after another plane in Myanmar skidded off the runway. At least 17 people were injured on May 8 when the Biman Bangladesh Airlines jet bounced during a landing in heavy winds and half skidded half crashed off the runway, damaging the plane and sending passengers flying about inside.