Singapore Airlines jet 'faceplants' as landing gear retracts

A Singapore Airlines jet faceplanted when its forward landing gear retracted on the tarmac at Singapore's Changi Airport Sunday.

The Airbus A330-300 was undergoing a landing gear check when the incident occurred, according to a Singapore Airlines statement.

Social media images showed the stricken plane, nose-down, at a gate.

It had been in service with Singapore Airlines since May 2009, and recently arrived in Singapore from Shanghai's Pudong Airport. It was due to depart for Hong Kong Sunday. An alternate aircraft was used for the Hong Kong flight.

"Maintenance work was being carried out to rectify a defect, and the gear retracted during the subsequent system check," the airline said.

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"There were no passengers or crew on board at the time. One engineer who was on the aircraft was not injured.

"Singapore Airlines will be cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigations."

The statement said that details of damage to the aircraft were not immediately available, and that an assessment would be carried out after it had been removed from the gate.

The airline is widely considered one of the world's best flag carriers, and it recently scored highly in rankings published by aviation website AirlineRatings, which called it a "trendsetter."

All of its seating sections -- first, business, premium economy and economy -- were singled out for praise in the report.

The airline also has an excellent safety record, according to AirlineRatings.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com