Airliner lands without nose gear

PHILADELPHIA – A US Airways Express airliner slid down a runway Sunday during an emergency landing without its nose landing gear. No injuries were reported.

The Philadelphia-bound deHavilland Dash-8 turboprop, operated by Piedmont Airlines, took off from Allentown at about 8:20 a.m. with 35 passengers and three crew members, according to officials of the airline and Philadelphia International Airport.

Before the scheduled landing at Philadelphia, the crew got an indication that the landing gear was not down and did a flyover to confirm that the nose wheels had not deployed, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.

Fire crews spread foam on the runway as a precaution before the landing at about 9:20 a.m. The plane skidded down the runway on its nose, but there was no smoke or fire, Lupica said. Passengers were taken to the terminal by bus.

The cause was being investigated, said US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant.