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Cape Town - What's up with all the landing gear issues suddenly? A Singapore Airlines plane's front wheel collapsed at Changi Airport over the weekend.
Channel News Asia reports no passengers or crew were on board the SIA Airbus A330-300 when its nose gear 'retracted' on Sunday morning.
The airline said the nose gear of the aircraft retracted while undergoing a landing gear system check while the aircraft was at Gate A17 at Changi Airport Terminal 3 - causing the plane to tilt forward.
And it's a good thing they did check, since this Virgin Atlantic emergency landing, due to part of the plane's landing gear being installed upside down is just unbelievable.
Airlines Update reports a Virgin Atlantic jet was compelled to make an emergency landing because plane's landing gear could not be properly deployed because the 'hydraulic retract actuator' - used to extend and retract the wheels - was 'incorrectly installed'.
According to the report, Pilot Bob Williams made the landing following after "a terrifying four-hour mid-air challenge".
READ:How do SA airports compare to the rest of the world
The Daily Mail reports the issue with the landing gear was reported shortly after the aircraft took off from Gatwick, bound for Las Vegas. Due to the technical fault, the Williams was forced to circle off the north Devon coast over southern England tried to burn off fuel in preparation for the emergency landing.
Before the emergency landing, the pilot also spent 15 minutes trying various flight manoeuvres in order to free the mechanism which was preventing the right wing landing gear from 'locking down'.
(Youtube)
(AP)
Passengers finally broke out in applause after Williams managed to do the rather impressive emergency landing on broken landing gear, without any loss of life or injury.
