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Plane does nosedive on landing No one hurt when small aircraft�s landing gear collapses on Medford airport runway A pilot and his two-person crew walked away unharmed Thursday after their plane crashed on a runway at the Medford airport. The twin-engine plane skidded roughly 700 feet after the plane�s front gear collapsed as it landed. Rescue crews from Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport responded to the accident at 12:35 p.m., according to airport spokeswoman Kim Stearns. The aircraft did not catch fire, Stearns said, and the crew did not require medical attention. No other aircraft or ground equipment were damaged in the incident, Stearns said. The plane, a privately owned twin-engine Apache, had been cleared to land on the airport�s main runway, Stearns added. "Everything was a go," she said. "At that time, there weren�t any problems." Stearns said the aircraft�s front gear collapsed as the plane landed. Stearns said the pilot, whom she could not identify, braked the plane and it skidded 697 feet before coming to a stop. "That was a nice long skid on the nose," she added. During the entire incident, Stearns said the pilot followed the correct procedures. "You have to owe that to the pilot that he kept very calm in a situation like that," she added. "And to the crew as well for keeping calm." Officials from the Flight Standards District Office in Hillsboro are investigating the crash, Stearns said, adding that she doesn�t know how long the inquiry will take. The runway was closed for about one hour while the Apache was removed. Two other aircraft were forced to land on other runways during that time, Stearns said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.