Trump Shuttle Crashes; No Injuries Reported

BOSTON--More than 50 people escaped injury yesterday as their Trump Shuttle jet slid into Logan Airport in a spray of sparks after its nose gear malfunctioned, causing the front wheel not to extend properly.

There were no injuries among the 47 passengers and seven crewmembers on the Boeing 727, according to Trump Shuttle officials.

The passengers were told to "be prepared for metal on concrete" before the jet screeched safely to a halt.

"It was like a roller coaster ride like at Coney Island, and I enjoyed that. You prepare yourself for the worst. But it was really just like a rough regular landing," said passenger Glenn Porter of New York.

"The pilot did an outstanding job," Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson John Mogul said. "The pilot held the nose off the ground, then lowered the nose slowly to the runway."

The pilot, Capt. Robert Smith, downplayed his efforts and said Boeing 727s are "fabulous" aircraft.

"This was all in a day's work as far as I'm concerned," said Smith, 47, a former Navy pilot. Smith flew for Eastern Airlines for 19 years before developer Donald Trump inaugurated the Trump Shuttle service on June 8 after buying the planes and landing rights from Eastern for $365 million.

Trump flew into Boston for the afternoon news conference.

"I think the whole crew is made up of heroes," said the billionaire developer, adding that he did not anticipate any negative customer reaction to the incident.

"I think the public confidence might be greater because of our crew," Trump said.

The plane circled Boston for nearly an hour as it dumped fuel over the ocean. The jet, coming from New York's LaGuardia Airport, made one rough touch-and-go landing at about 10 a.m. in an effort to jar the front wheel loose from its housing.

After circling several more times, the plane landed by dropping its wing wheels deftly to the runway in a gentle, but ungainly, landing, its nose scraping the pavement.

Many passengers said the scariest moments came after the landing, as fire equipment sprayed the plane with foam, and they rushed to slide down emergency chutes.

"The people in the front were screaming and yelling," said James Moriarty of New York. "[The pilot] said be prepared for metal on concrete. So that's what we were preparing for. It wasn't that bad, though. You felt like you were just waiting for the nose to drop."

Trump Shuttle President Bruce Nobles said the jet had been in service since January 1970, adding that age was an unlikely factor in the incident.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

Passengers aboard the Trump plane said they had plenty of warning of the rough landing to come.

Charlie Cormay of Sudbury said, "When they first said they had problems, everybody was just kind of joking about it. Once we realized there was going to be a crash landing, everybody got pretty solemn."

As the plane came in for its final landing, Cormay said, "a few prayers" went through his mind.

Mike Murphy of Washington, D.C., said the plane was making what seemed to be a normal approach to the airport, "then the pilot announced there was a problem with the landing gear."

"It was no fun to learn we had a landing-gear problem. People kind of looked around. The pilot announced there was a mechanical problem. We went out over the water and did what they call a G-force manuever, it was like a roller coaster. Then we tried to land hard to bounce it free. That didn't work."

Kathy Hussey of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had come to Boston for a business meeting, said, "They prepared us very well. By the time we landed, we were all very happy and relieved."

"Suddenly you were on the runway with foam on your face and on your back," she said, adding that she probably would take the train back to New York.

Passenger Moriarty said many of the travelers were on business, which he credited with the calm atmosphere. "They were thinking of their business appointments," he said. Still, passengers took comfort from each other he said.