PHOTOs-US Flight Makes Emergency Landing>139 on Board
 

Travel Nightmare as Southwest Flight With 139 Passengers on Board Circles Oakland for HOURS Trying to Burn Off Fuel Before Emergency Landing Because of a Mechanical Fault

• Flight 2457 headed for Chicago Medway Airport at 6:13am (PT)
• A short time into the flight, the captain decided to head back to Oakland
• Pilots were forced to burn fuel to reduce weight in order to land
• The flight appeared to abort their first attempt at landing
• But the plane touched down safely in Oakland at 10:15am (PT)
  

Daily Mail UK, 23 December 2015


A Southwest airlines flight circled above Oakland for more than three hours before landing after the captain discovered mechanical problems with the landing gear.


Flight 2457, with 139 passengers on board, headed for Chicago Medway Airport at 6:13am (PT) on Wednesday morning.

A short way into the four-hour flight, officials decided to turn back towards Ca after discovering the issue to burn off fuel for an emergency landing.

The flight aborted one attempt to land as ground crews tried to figure out what was wrong with the plane.


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...0895084402.jpg


A Southwest airlines flight has circled above Oakland, California, for more than three hours after the captain discovered mechanical problems with the landing gear. The flight that suffered the issues is pictured


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...0895089464.jpg


The flight aborted one attempt to land as ground crews tried to figure out what was wrong with the plane. But at 10:15am (PT) the plane touched back down without any issues. Emergency vehicles are seen surrounding the plane as a precaution


At 10:15am (PT) the plane touched back down without any issues.
It is likely to cause delays on what is one of the busiest travel days of the year.
They have to dump fuel so the aircraft is the right weight for landing.

Southwest said in a statement:

'After takeoff, the Captain in Command made the decision to return to Oakland to check a maintenance item on the aircraft.
Oakland airport officials said they placed their facility on a 'yellowalert' preparing for the plane's return.


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...0894082813.jpg


A flight tracker shows the aircraft circling above Oakland, California


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...0895149774.jpg


The plane is seen leaving Oakland International Airport after aborting the first landing