July 27, 2007	Friday	Rajab 11, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 26: A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) aircraft reportedly made a belly landing at an airbase in Sharjah after its left landing gear failed to deploy, sources said on Thursday.

This was the second major incident involving the same CAA- owned plane, a Beech King B200 calibration aircraft, in eight months with both episodes occurring in Sharjah. The aircraft was on flight inspection of navigational aids in United Arab Emirates when on landing its gears failed to extend.

The UAE authorities refused to allow the aircraft to land back at Sharjah airport and was instead asked to attempt landing at nearby Minhad airbase were arrangements for belly landing were made. The aircraft crew remained safe in the incident.

CAA spokesman Pervez George, however, contended that it was a technical landing and not crash landing.

He said the pilots after the take-off noted the ‘left gear unsafe’ indication after which all steps as per checklist were undertaken and the aircraft landed safely at an alternative airfield as advised by the Sharjah Aviation Authority.

The report of a crash landing of this aircraft in November is yet to be released, however, the pilot involved in the incident was made president of the CAA’s safety investigation board.