Raleigh, NC -- A pilot whose successful landing of a JetBlue plane with broken landing gear was shown live on television has received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which is one of the highest awards presented by a North Carolina governor. Scott Burke is a native of Bloomington, Minnesota but he has lived in Raleigh for about 15 years. The 46-year-old pilot landed the plane in Los Angeles on September 21 without harming any of the 140 passengers on board. The emergency started soon after takeoff from Burbank, California, when the crew noticed a caution light indicating a problem with the landing gear. Burke circled past the Long Beach Airport's control tower, where flight controllers saw that the nose wheel on Flight 292 hadn't retracted and was twisted out of alignment. The plane flew in circles for three hours to burn off fuel, then landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport, balancing on its back wheels as it rolled down the center of the runway.
Easley Honors Raleigh Pilot Who Landed Troubled JetBlue Plane
Scott Burke successfully landed a plane with twisted landing gear in September. None of the passengers or crew were injured.
