A WWII-era plane with seven people on board made an emergency landing in Jacksonville Saturday.
The B-24 Liberator circled the sky above Cecil Airport for almost two hours after its landing gear malfunctioned.
"They were going to fly around, burn off some gas and talk with everyone on the ground and figure out the best thing to do," Luke Graves said.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue crews and vehicles were on standby at the airport as the pilot and another crew member worked to resolve the issue in the air.
WWII-era plane with seven people onboard circles Cecil Airport in #Jacksonville for almost 2 hours after landing gear malfunctions. Video: Andrew Tan @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/GQYA7uSkzf pic.twitter.com/MfWQSkYByC
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
A crowd watched from below as the aircraft made an emergency landing just before noon.
The plane and several other aircrafts were on display in Jacksonville as part of the Wings of Freedom Tour.
Graves, his wife Marcia and daughter Heather paid for a 30-minute flight but ended up spending hours in the air.
"I got a little bit weepy because I thought about my dad and all of his adventures," Marcia Graves said, adding that her father flew B-24s during his military career.
She and her family said they were not nervous and had full faith in the pilot.
"Since something went wrong, slightly, it was like a brief experience of what they must have gone through on some of their missions," Heather Graves said.
They said they appreciated the extra time in the air.
A Federal Aviation Authority spokesperson said the agency will investigate what caused the malfunction. No one was injured.
FAA Statement:
"A B-24 Liberator aircraft landed safely at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, today around 11:40 am after the crew reported a problem with the aircraft landing gear and declared an emergency. The plane landed safely on Runway 18L. The FAA will investigate."
Fire rescue crews on standby at Cecil Airport because of plane with malfunctioning landing gear. A spokesperson tells me it's a B-24 aircraft that was at the airport as part of a warbirds exhibit @ActionNewsJax
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
#Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesperson says pilot is working to resolve the issue in the air as the plane circles above Cecil Airport. JFRD says crews were called to the airport around 9:45 a.m. @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/wQj3Y2oGPN
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
This is the flier for the exhibit at Cecil Airport. I'm told the B-24 is the plane with the malfunctioning landing gear. Spokesperson did not know how many people are on the plane @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/bR3JDAD4Q4
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
UPDATE: JAA spokesperson says there are 7 people on the B-24 including 2 crew members. Still working to resolve the issue in the air @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/dMYU45uRIe
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
A lot of JFRD personnel out here as plane makes emergency landing @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/xM6CVnWd7F
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
Plane just landed safely @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/EPjQwUKiaU
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
Thankfully the plane just landed safely here at Cecil Airport in #Jacksonville @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/iaMdOdZpli
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
Just spoke with the passengers on the B-24 when it made an emergency landing at Cecil Airport. They tell me they weren’t nervous at all, they had full faith in the crew members @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/nkKrcI6m9V
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
"I got a little bit weepy because I thought about my dad and all of his adventures." Passenger whose dad flew a B-24 during World War II tells me she wasn't nervous after landing gear malfunction https://t.co/GQYA7uSkzf @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/dEVu0qt0hq
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 24, 2018
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