Plane Lands Safely Minus Front Wheel

An American Eagle commuter flight made a dramatic landing at Kennedy Airport Saturday after pilots realized one of the plane’s two front wheels had popped off during takeoff in Rochester.

The Saab 340, a twin-engine prop with 33 passengers and a dog aboard, landed safely at 9:26 a.m. after circling for more than an hour and a half as pilots “tried to figure out what to do,” said an American Eagle employee.

The plane’s pilots ultimately radioed Kennedy and arranged to do a low fly-by so ground crews could look at the landing gear and relay back to pilots what they saw.

What they saw was one less tire than required.

After the fly-by, the 34-seat plane circled back and landed safely, with a battalion of emergency vehicles there to greet nerve-wracked passengers. The plane was then towed to the gate, officials said.

“There were no injuries, although one passenger complained of not feeling well,” said John Kampe, a spokesman for the Port Authority, which operates the airport.