A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft has landed safely at Gatwick Airport after suffering landing gear problems.

The plane, carrying some 400 passengers, had been bound for Las Vegas when the technical fault was detected and it flew back to Gatwick for what Virgin described as a ‘non standard landing’.

The plane took off at 11.44am (12.14pm Malta) and landed back safely at 4.50 p.m. (Malta). It stopped on the runway and was surrounded by fire-engines.

Prior to landing it circled off the west coast, burning off fuel before heading back inland.

The plane also made two low level passes over Southampton airport which enabled officials to see the landing gear through binoculars. The gear was down but a set of wheels under one of the wings appeared to be partly retracted. There were fears the gear may have collapsed while landing.

PILOT PRAISED

Terrified passengers applauded the pilot after the plane landed after having endured a nerve-racking few hours circling above the south coast.

Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said it was "anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and (we were) just waiting for the captain's next announcement."

Mr Crane, who was with family and friends, said the crew kept everyone informed, adding: "They said it was an emergency landing and we had to brace on impact."

Mike Kaufman, speaking from his seat on the plane back at Gatwick, said: "This was one of the greatest emergency landings in history. It was very smooth."

He praised the pilots and the cabin crew, saying the landing had been "textbook".
Interviewed for Sky News, he went on: "We didn't realise there would be such a fuss. It was such a calm experience. About half an hour out they said we would have to go back to Gatwick. They said it was a hydraulic problem.

"The fact everything went so well shows just how professional the flight crew were. The crew were calm. We had a safety briefing two hours before we landed and when we were told we would have to go into the brace position for landings a sigh went around the plane."

Mr Kaufman told Sky News: "Everybody gave the crew a big round of applause when we landed. I can't wait to get into the terminal and have a gin and tonic now.

"We were talking about going on a rollercoaster ride when we got to Las Vegas. Now I'm not so sure."