Nose gear issue forces LATAM Airlines A320 to perform emergency landing

Yesterday, march 29 a LATAM Airlines  Airbus A320-200 registration CC-BAS operating flight LA4292 from Medellin International Airport (MDE) and Cartagena (CTG) was forced to return to its departure airport due to a failure in its nose landing gear. Passengers at the airport were able to capture the moment when the aircraft touched down on the runway and sparks were seen coming from the nose landing gear.

The aircraft took off from Rio Negro Airport in Medellin, Colombia at 14:29LT in service of flight LA4292 bound to Cartagena. According to information from the Civil Aeronautical Authority in Colombia, the LATAM crew detected a problem with one of the tires in the aircraft’s nose gear.

• More great content from Transponder1200: Unvaccinated United Airlines employees will return to work

Because of that and just seconds after their departure, they decided to return to Medellin, the A320 does not have the ability to dump fuel, so it was necessary for the crew to perform a holding pattern for around 20 minutes at an altitude of between 11,600 and 12,000 feet over the Salto del Buey National Park. At 15:07LT the aircraft started its initial descent towards Medellin.

Five minutes later, at 15:12LT, the A320 landed with a damaged nose gear and turned to a 90° angle. Due to the unusual angle of the nose gear, the friction created sparks and a fire. The emergency services at the airport had been properly notified of the potential emergency and were ready to receive the A320.

The Civil Aeronautical Authority Board informed that the takeoff and landing operations at Medellin International were halted while the evacuation of the passengers and removal of the LATAM A320 from the runway took place. As of now there’s no reports of injuries or casualties due to this incident.