A Virgin Atlantic jet heading towards Las Vegas made a safe emergency landing at London's Gatwick Airport after experiencing problems with its landing gear.
The Boeing 747 spent several hours circling over southern England dumping fuel before landing just before 16:00 GMT, bringing all 447 passengers and 15 crew members down to the ground safely, according to BBC News. The runway was closed due to the emergency before the airport reopened it at 19:03 GMT.
The incident led to arriving flights being diverted to other airports in London and departing flights experiencing severe delays.
The plane was having issues with its right main landing gear, which forced the pilot to land on all three of its four main landing gears, USA Today reported.
The pilot first tried to thrust the jet forward quickly while flying at low altitude in order to "shake" the stuck gear free before deciding to cancel the flight and bring the jet to Gatwick.
Several passengers commented on their experience aboard Virgin flight VS43, with Nick Hughes saying the crew "gave it every opportunity before they tried the emergency landing," BBC News reported. "All credit due to the crew and the staff and of course the pilots because the landing was probably one of the softest landings I've ever had."
Hardeek Desai, another passenger, said a few passengers panicked during the crisis, but one of the crew members reassured that everything was going to be fine.
"The staff were giving out things like drinks and water to everyone to make sure everyone's OK," Desai added. "Generally, the mood was pretty good at this point until we hit the brace position."
Another passenger, Mike Kaufman, praised the crew for being calm and professional throughout the ordeal, USA Today reported.
"Everybody gave the crew a big round of applause when we landed," Kaufman said. "I can't wait to get into the terminal and have a gin and tonic now."
The crew also received praise from Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson, who tweeted "Well done @VirginAtlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of #VS43," BBC News reported.
"Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience," Branson added.
