Credit: Andy Jacobsohn/Getty Images
A Southwest Airlines plane’s front landing gear hit the ground before its main landing gear at LaGuardia Airport on Monday, causing the accident that injured nine people, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday.
The Boeing 737 was traveling at an airspeed of 133 knots and was pointed three degrees downward when it struck the runway, the NTSB said in a statement. The nose of the plane should have been pointed upward with the aircraft’s main landing gear making contact with the ground first.
It took approximately 19 seconds for the plane to come to a complete stop after touchdown, investigators said.
The plane, which originated in Nashville, was carrying 149 passengers. The nose gear collapsed upon landing, causing the plane to skid down the runway.
Nine people were treated for minor injuries.
Investigators say they have 27 hours of recorded data, including the entire flight and flight landing sequence. A group will convene in Washington, D.C., on Friday to transcribe the relevant portion.
