The pilot of a plane is celebrating tonight after he was forced to make a wheels-up landing at Newcastle Airport after a mechanical failure.
The plane, believed to be a Beech B-200 Super King, had two passengers on board, a 60-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, from Tuggerah on the Central Coast.
The plane took off from the airport at about 8.30am, police confirmed, and was headed towards Port Macquarie.
However, after reporting an issue with the landing gear, 53-year-old Queensland pilot Peter Schott elected to stay around Newcastle and attempt to land.
Emergency services, including multiple fire engines and ambulances, were on standby at the scene.
Schott circled in the air until shortly after noon, when he executed a wheels-up landing.
"I would have done this exercise for students, I don't know 200, 300 times, so it was quite textbook," he told 9News exclusively.
The pilot was praised after everybody on board escaped unhurt.
Tonight, Schott is celebrating.
"I'll have a wine, I think," he said.
Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said the two passengers had been able to drive home.
"It was a great result, really well done by the pilot," he said.
"I could hear him on the air, he sounded very calm to me."
Humphrey said everybody at the command station for the operation had applauded when the aircraft landed safely.
All flights out of the airport will be cancelled as it remains closed for about 24 hours while the plane is retrieved.
Eastern Air Services praised the pilot for an "exceptional" job.
They confirmed the Australian Transport Safety Bureau would investigate the incident.
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