FedEx Airlines, Boeing-made plane forced to land in Istanbul without front wheels

Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front wheels

Fedex Express Flight 6268, a Boeing 767, was flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul Airport when it was forced to land without the use of its front wheels. (Turkish Transport Ministry)

A cargo aircraft made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday after its front landing gear failed.

Fedex Express Flight 6268, a Boeing 767, was flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul Airport when it informed the Turkish traffic control tower that its landing gear failed to open. Airport rescue and fire teams prepared the runway and the tower instructed the plane’s crew to proceed with landing.

A video on social media showed the Boeing 767 belonging to FedEx Express using the back landing gear and then dipping its nose with the front portion of the fuselage.

The plane was on the last leg of its flight from Paris to Istanbul when the pilots realized the front landing gear failed to open, state-run Anadolu Agency said.

No one was injured and the crew safely evacuated the aircraft, said Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Turkey’s transportation and infrastructure minister.

The runway where the plane landed was closed off while the aircraft was being removed, he said.

Authorities are investigating the incident, a Turkish Transport Ministry official said. It gave no reason for the failure.

The Boeing 767 is a nearly 10-year-old freighter. It is one of the most common cargo planes and uses a model dating back to the 1980s.

FOX Business reached out to Boeing, who deferred statements to FedEx. Manufacturers are not typically involved in the operation or maintenance of aircraft after they enter service.

Boeing has remained under intense media scrutiny following a series of incidents with their aircraft in recent months.