A Buffalo Airways Lockheed Electra featured in the reality TV series "Ice Pilots NWT" made a successful belly landing at Yellowknife Airport in Canada on Monday after its right landing gear became stuck in the up position. The 50-year-old Electra skidded to a halt off the runway after its pilots spent more than an hour trying to dislodge the malfunctioning gear with no luck.
Joe “Buffalo” McBryan, owner of Buffalo Airways, was quoted by local news sources as saying the pilots made a “textbook” emergency landing. The two pilots and four passengers walked away unhurt, although the antique four-engine airplane was badly damaged in the incident.
The Ice Pilots television series follows the adventures of the maverick airline, which operates a fleet of aging cargo and passenger planes including Douglas DC-3s and C-54s, Lockheed L-188s and Curtiss C-46s from its base in Yellowknife. The show currently airs on Monday nights on the Weather Channel.
There’s a good chance the Yellowknife incident was caught on video from inside the L-188 Electra. Reports said there were six people on board the airplane at the time of the emergency landing, including one of the show’s cameramen.
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