FAA training aircraft forced to make emergency landing

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Jun. 4--FORT WORTH -- A training aircraft belonging to the Federal Aviation Administration made an emergency landing at Alliance Airport on Thursday when its nose landing gear failed to extend properly, authorities said.

The aircraft remained intact fafter the nose down landing and no one was injured in the maneuver, an FAA official said.

The two pilots in the Beech C90, more commonly known as a Beechcraft King Air, were just completing a training mission about 2 p.m. when they noticed the nose landing gear was only partially extended, said Lynn Lunsford, an FAA spokesman.

They did a fly-by and air traffic controllers confirmed that the landing gear was not properly extended, and then they began to work through their options with employees of the aircraft manufacturer and air traffic controllers, Lunsford said.

After exhausting all their options and much of their fuel, the two pilots elected to land on the two remaining main landing gear and executed the emergency landing.

The Fort Worth Fire Department deployed additional apparatus as a precaution, but none of it was needed, said Tim Hardeman, fire department spokesman.