On Dec. 12 an Aerosucre Boeing 727 made an emergency landing at Ernesto Cortissoz Airport in Barranquilla after the left main landing gear failed to retract. Video captured sparks, flames and smoke from the gear on touchdown, but the fire subsided and there were no injuries. Ground crews unloaded 19 tons of cargo and used cranes to manually deploy the gear so the aircraft could be towed. Aerosucre has withdrawn the plane from service pending further action.
Aerosucre Boeing 727 Emergency Landing: Landing Gear Catches Fire But No Injuries
Plane's Landing Gear Catches Fire in Shocking Video of Emergency Landing
On Dec. 12, an Aerosucre Boeing 727 made an emergency landing at Ernesto Cortissoz Airport in Barranquilla, Colombia, after the crew reported a technical malfunction that prevented the left main landing gear from fully retracting.
Plane spotter Darwin Claro captured dramatic footage of the jet as it touched down and emitted large sparks; flames and smoke were visible around the left main landing gear as the aircraft decelerated. The fire subsided once the plane came to a full stop and, according to the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil), there were no injuries.
Bloomberg via GettyAn Aerosucre Cargo plane
Aerocivil Response and Ground Operations
Aerocivil said the crew declared an in-flight emergency and carried out a controlled landing with the left main gear partially retracted. Local emergency services, airport management, air traffic control and Aerosucre coordinated the response on the ground.
Ground crews unloaded all 19 tons of cargo and brought in oversized cranes to lift the airframe. Technicians were then able to manually deploy the left main landing gear so the aircraft could be towed safely off the runway.
Aftermath
Aerosucre later announced the affected aircraft would be withdrawn from service and removed from its fleet — a decision the company said was made in consultation with Colombia's aeronautical authority. The carrier emphasized its commitment to safety, efficiency and operational quality in a social media statement. Aerocivil’s official translated statement detailed the technical malfunction and confirmed the incident resulted in no injuries.
Sources: Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil), eyewitness video by Darwin Claro, Aerosucre statement.
