Passenger aircraft has wheels up landing at JKIA

A diverted passenger plane crash-landed on the runway in Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport earlier today.

The Kenyan Airports Authority said the Fokker 50 turboprop bwlonging to Skyward International, carrying six people had touched down on its belly after the left landing gear failed.

The Kenyan press reported the Fokker 27 Mark 50 turboprop was hit by two birds on takeoff, one of which lodged in the landing gear mechanism. The landing gear then failed, forcing the pilot to declare an emergency.

"On approaching Nairobi Wilson Airport and extending the landing gear, the nose wheel and the right main landing gear extended; but the left main landing gear did not extend as its door was wedged shut by the remains of the bird," representatives of Skyward told local media.

All flights into Nairobi were being diverted to the port city of Mombasa during Sunday afternoon but earlier this evening the aircraft was removed and the runway was reopened.

The aircraft had been flying from the north-eastern town of Wajir when it made the emergency landing. It was scheduled to Wilson Airport but diverted to JKIA because of the longer runway available.

“A flight from Wajir had emergency landing at #JKIA. No casualties/injuries. Operations ongoing to clear runway,” Kenya Airports Authority announced through Twitter.

“Our very experienced crew performed a very difficult maneuver and undertook a successful belly landing with no injuries to anyone in the aircraft and on the ground," said Emil Arao, director of aircraft owners, Skyward .

Picture by Sikolia Kisaka/Kenyan Airports Authority