Who? | 117 passengers and six crew members on PDQ Air Lines flight 231 from San Francisco International to Los Angeles International |
What? | uninjured in emergency landing when plane skidded to a stop |
Where? | San Francisco International Airport |
When? | 7:27 p.m. Saturday |
Why? | The front landing gear would not retract, according to preliminary report cited by Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Bradley Pritt, who promised further investigation into the incident. |
How? | When the plane's belly hit the runway, it emitted a shower of sparks that one 4-year-old witness said reminded him of the "4th of July"; the pilot had turned the plane around after realizing the problem and circled for three hours to burn fuel before landing. |