- Plane turned round after take-off and made emergency landing at 3.45pm after it emerged landing gear was stuck
- Jet originally bound for Las Vegas circled London for several hours while terrified passengers sobbed
- Those on board were forced to adopt the brace position as the hero pilot landed the plane with 'text book' skill
- The runway is closed but expected to reopen at 6pm. No flights are departing and inbound flights are diverted
Crying passengers on board a transatlantic flight have hailed a hero pilot after he was forced to perform an emergency landing on broken landing gear.
The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 with more than 450 people on board was meant to go to Las Vegas but was forced to return to London after developing a technical fault shortly after take-off.
For several hours the jumbo jet circled the airport and made several low-altitude passes so engineers could inspect the landing gear problem, leaving some passengers distraught as they were forced to adopt the brace position.
The plane finally landed with only three quarters of its landing gear down after a set of wheels on the starboard wing refused to drop.
Passenger Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said the mood before the landing was 'anxious'. He said: 'A lot were worried, some crying. They said it was an emergency landing and we had to brace on impact.'
But the terrified passengers then cheered and applauded the hero pilot - named only by passengers as 'Dave' - after he landed the jumbo jet safely with only a few on board suffering minor injuries.
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Back on the ground: This is the Virgin Atlantic jet during its risky landing at Gatwick this afternoon, surrounded by emergency vehicles
The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 with more than 450 people on board was meant to go to Las Vegas but was forced to return to London after developing a technical fault shortly after take-off. Passengers disembark the plane
Emergency landing: The flight from Gatwick to Las Vegas is back on the ground after its pilot landed it with only three-quarters of its landing gear down
Close up: This image shows how three-quarters of the landing gear is down - but one set of wheels on the starboard wing are not fully down
Terrified passengers who had endured a nerve-racking few hours circling above the south coast after the problem was identified spoke of their relief as the pilot of Flight VS43 managed a 'textbook' landing.
Passengers, many heading for a New Year break in Las Vegas, adopted the brace position and emergency services were on standby as the giant aircraft, packed with 447 passengers and 15 crew, came into land.
And there was spontaneous applause as the pilot pulled off the delicate landing without a hitch and the jet rolled safely to a stop.
Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said it was 'anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and (we were) just waiting for the captain's next announcement.'
Mr Crane, who was with family and friends, said the crew kept everyone informed, adding: 'They said it was an emergency landing and we had to brace on impact.'
The jet appeared to be flying with only three quarters of its landing gear down after a set of wheels on the starboard wing refused to drop, but the pilot still managed to land it safely.
The plane had to turn back towards London over the Devon coast less than 30 minutes after taking off for America at just before midday today.
The jet landed at Gatwick at 3.45pm today where it was met on the runway and surrounded by the emergency services.
Passengers on board were asked to adopt the brace position as the plane came in to land.
Mike Kaufman, who was on the plane, said it would go down as one of the 'greatest emergencies in history'.
He said: 'When we landed you can imagine the relief.
Route: The jet was heading across the Atlantic when it turned back over Devon, left, and circled Gatwick several times
The plane had to turn back towards London over the Devon coast less than 30 minutes after taking off for America at just before midday today
Emergency crews met the jet after the pilot performed a 'text book' emergency landing and escorted passengers off the plane and to safety
Virgin said passengers would be well looked after this evening, and will be operating a special flight tomorrow for everyone who would like to continue their journey
'We were told the plane had a hydraulic problem but were not told that it was the wheels.
'We were told about the brace position around two hours before we landed and ran through it several times before we landed. The crew were calm and that made us calm.
'The landing was smoother than others I've had. It was probably less dramatic on board than it was watching it on TV.
'It is going to go down as one of the greatest emergency landings in history'.
Newly-wed website user Alexia posted a picture of her and her husband earlier today as they went to board the flight, next to the message: 'We are on our way.'
The landing was smoother than others I've had. It was probably less dramatic on board than it was watching it on TV. It is going to go down as one of the greatest emergency landings in history
Passenger Mike Kaufman
But she later tweeted: 'Yup, that's my plane on the BBC News right now! #vegas #v043 will I ever get to Vegas??
After the plane landed, she wrote: 'Despite what we've just been through, we actually would quite like to get on another plane #VS43
'Biggest round of applause I've ever heard for a pilot landing. He's kept us informed the whole time of everything #VS43'
Other passengers also took to Twitter after touching down to thank the flight crew.
Kelly Coates tweeted: '#VS43 currently on board the Virgin Atlantic Flight VS43. Massive thank you to all of the crew for keeping everyone calm and safe ??'
Fate Swan wrote: '@virginatlantic the cabin crew and the pilot have been absolutely amazing and have been keeping us all calm and informed #VS43'
Another posted: 'Top marks to Dave the pilot and all the excellent Virgin cabin crew for bringing us back to Earth safe and sound. #vs43'.
Fault: This picture taken moments before the Gatwick landing shows how part of the landing gear had not deployed
Tributes: Passengers said that the crew on board were calm which made them calm
Zoom: The pilot managed to land the jet with hundreds on board without all the landing gear in place
Safe: Emergency services were on standby for the landing and surrounded the plane on the runway
Trouble: This Virgin Atlantic flight from Gatwick to Las Vegashad to return to London after developing a fault
A Gatwick Airport spokesman said: 'Virgin Atlantic flight VS043 has landed safely after returning to Gatwick due to a technical fault. Following the emergency landing, passengers have disembarked the aircraft via stairs. At this time, only minor injuries have been reported.
'The runway has been closed until the aircraft can be removed from the runway and based on current predictions it is not expected to reopen until at least 18.00. Currently no flights are departing Gatwick and inbound flights are being diverted to other airports. We advise passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flight. Updates will also be posted on the Gatwick website and on Twitter.'
A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: 'We can confirm that flight VS43 has landed safely back at Gatwick. Our priority now is to look after our passengers and crew'.
Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, Craig Kreeger, said: 'I understand that this will have been a very upsetting situation for the customers involved, and for their friends and family, and will have significantly disrupted people’s holiday plans.
'We will make sure they are well looked after this evening, and will be operating a special flight tomorrow for everyone who would like to continue their journey.
'I’m here at Gatwick to meet our customers and crew, and to thank them all for their fantastic response. I understand that people have already been phoning our contact centre – from the plane – to make sure that they are booked on tomorrow’s special flight to Las Vegas. I want to reassure them that we’ll make sure there’s a seat for everyone and we really look forward to making sure they’re in Vegas for an amazing New Year’s Eve.'
Before it landed the plane made at least one low-level pass over the London Gatwick so engineers could observe the problem.
Others who saw the jet circling around the airport said the pilot was 'tipping the wings' to try to use gravity to drop down the final part of the landing gear.
Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, tweeted the picture on the left from inside the plane. Right, a passenger called Alexia tweeted her relief from the ground
Long wait: The plane was circling several hours as it burned off the fuel before the emergency landing
Ambulances and fire-and-rescue crews had been on standby as the plane circled the airport in the hours after it took off for the United States.
Before the successful landing, Virgin announced that the plane would be carrying out a 'non-standard landing procedure' at Gatwick airport =
A Gatwick Airport spokesman said: 'Virgin Atlantic flight VS043 has landed safely after returning to Gatwick due to a technical fault. Following the emergency landing, passengers have disembarked the aircraft via stairs. At this time, only minor injuries have been reported.
'The runway has been closed until the aircraft can be removed from the runway and based on current predictions it is not expected to reopen until at least 6pm.
'Currently no flights are departing Gatwick and inbound flights are being diverted to other airports.
We advise passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flight. Updates will also be posted on the Gatwick website and on Twitter.'
A dramatic photograph showed the jumbo jet landing at Gatwick with the right-side wing landing gear not deployed.
In November 1997 a Virgin Atlantic captain Tim Barnby won praise for safely landing a Virgin Atlantic Airbus plane at Heathrow after a landing-gear problem.
The plane, flying in from Los Angeles carrying 98 passengers and 16 crew, managed to touch down using three instead of four sets of landing gear.
Nine passengers were treated for minor injuries. Virgin said it had been 'fantastic flying'.
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