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An airplane with three individuals on board successfully executed a safe landing, despite the absence of landing gear. The plane had to circle an Australian airport for nearly three hours to consume excess fuel before landing.

Small Airplane Circles Newcastle Airport in Australia for Hours

According to Police Superintendent Wayne Humphrey, the pilot, along with a man and a woman in their 60s, were able to walk without help after landing their twin-turboprop Beechcraft Super King Air on a runway at Newcastle Airport north of Sydney. The aircraft was en route to Port Macquarie, located approximately 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of the airport.

Humphrey expressed his happiness with the pilot's skillful wheels-up landing during a conversation with reporters at the airport.

The plane safely touched down on the tarmac at 12:20 p.m. Emergency vehicles, including fire engines and ambulances, were prepared and waiting for any potential incidents, The Independent reported.

According to a police statement, the plane experienced "mechanical issues," while an unnamed police officer, as reported by Australian Broadcasting Corp., mentioned a failure in the landing gear. The plane is owned by Eastern Air Services, based in Port Macquarie.

Aviation safety expert Ron Bartsch said, the pilot likely chose to return to Newcastle due to the airport's better emergency response resources compared to those available at Port Macquarie.

An investigation into the incident will be conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Newcastle airport was set to remain closed for approximately 24 hours while recovery operations were carried out.

The flight garnered significant attention on major flight tracking websites on Monday morning as people from around the world closely monitored the latest updates.

A private charter plane, the Beechcraft B200 Super King Air turboprop, typically accommodates around 13 passengers. It operates out of Eastern Air Services' base in Port Macquarie.

The flight took off from Newcastle airport around 8.30am on Monday, but instead of heading towards Port Macquarie, it entered a circling holding pattern. Emergency services were notified around 9.30am.

Newcastle airport shares runway facilities with the nearby Royal Australian Air Force base at Williamtown.

Beechcraft Super King Air's Cause of Emergency Landing

A spokesperson from the defense department stated that an aircraft, not affiliated with the military, reported technical problems to air traffic control at RAAF Base Williamtown around 10:40 a.m.

According to a spokesperson from the defense, the aircraft at RAAF Base Williamtown are receiving support from the defense and emergency services.

During the flight, Doug Drury, an aviation professor at Central Queensland University, mentioned that the pilot would likely maintain constant communication with maintenance teams to address any issues that arise.

However, according to Drury, if there were fire crews on the ground waiting, it is possible that they could also land the aircraft on a runway.

"They would be in contact with a maintenance team to go through as many trials as they can, like pull this circuit breaker, pull this switch, try this, try that," he explained, according to The Guardian.