Nike plane has landing problems

By Teresa Carson

PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – A Nike Inc. Gulfstream
corporate jet with faulty landing gear was circling over
Portland on Monday to burn off fuel before attempting a
landing, aviation officials said.

William Perez, the sports shoe and apparel company’s chief
executive, was not on the flight, Nike said.

“Four Nike employees including three senior executives, as
well as three crew members are aboard a Nike Gulfstream 5
corporate jet experiencing equipment difficulties this
morning,” the company said in a statement on its Web site.

The twin-engined Gulfstream V jet is a 19-passenger,
high-end aircraft sold mainly to wealthy travelers and
corporate executives.

The plane’s right-wing landing gear was stuck in its bay,
while the left-side gear and nose gear were extended.

“We think probably they’ll be coming here to PDX,” said
Steve Johnson, referring to Portland International Airport’s
airport code.

John King, owner of flight instruction school King Schools,
said that he can’t remember anyone ever getting hurt with a
landing gear problem.

“It’s a well-designed and well-built plane,” King said,
“The risk level is very low and odds are very high that the
pilot will be able to bring this jet to a complete stop in the
middle of the runway.”

In September, a JetBlue Airbus A320 airliner with 146
people aboard made an emergency landing at Los Angeles
International Airport with a crippled nose gear. There were no
serious injuries.

“We’re ready. We have a well-trained fire and rescue team,”
Johnson said.

Earlier, an aviation official said that the jet was also
likely to go to a nearby regional airport to try and jog the
landing gear by making “touch-and-go” passes on the runway.

“They may try to go to Hillsboro airport to try and jar
down the landing gear,” said Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman with
the Federal Aviation Administration. Hillsboro is near
Beaverton, Oregon, a Portland suburb where Nike is
headquartered.

“They have not decided where it will land,” Kenitzer said.

Nike shares were down 1.6 percent at $86.31 on the New York
Stock Exchange.