Pilot successfully landed plane carrying two passengers at Newcastle in May after ‘mechanical crunching noises’ heard during initial climb

A small plane was forced to perform a “wheels up” emergency landing in Newcastle due to a pre-existing fracture on its landing gear that snapped after takeoff and caused its front wheel to jam, an investigation has found.

The Beechcraft B200 Super King Air turboprop plane, operated by Eastern Air Services, took off from Newcastle airport on 13 May this year headed for Port Macquarie carrying two passengers as a charter service.

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