Holding the Nose Off: N803QS's Gear-Up Landing at Akron-Canton

A NetJets Citation Longitude crew spent the better part of two hours circling Akron-Canton Airport trying to coax a stuck nose gear down before accepting they'd have to land without it — and then flew that landing about as well as a gear-up arrival can be flown.

A Normal Approach, Until It Wasn't

N803QS departed Washington Dulles at 10:48 that morning as NetJets flight EJA803, a routine charter repositioning to Akron-Canton. On approach, the crew ran the landing gear extension as normal — and the nose gear didn't come down.

Working the Problem in the Air

Rather than land immediately with an unresolved gear indication, the crew did what a gear malfunction is supposed to buy time for: they circled the airport repeatedly, running through the aircraft's emergency checklists for exactly this failure — alternate extension methods, checking circuit breakers, trying to get a positive indication any way the procedures allow. None of it brought the nose gear down.

Landing on the Mains, Holding the Nose Off

At around 12:53 p.m., the crew committed to landing on Runway 1 without the nose gear. The technique for this kind of landing is to touch down on the main gear first and hold the nose up as long as possible using elevator control, bleeding off speed before letting the nose settle onto the runway under control rather than letting it drop — which is exactly what this crew did, holding the nose off for several seconds before it came down.

Two Pilots, No Injuries

Both pilots — the only people aboard — walked away unharmed. The aircraft itself sustained damage to its nose section and underside, consistent with a controlled gear-up landing rather than a hard or uncontrolled impact.

Investigation Status

The FAA and Ohio State Highway Patrol were both involved in the response; the specific mechanical reason the nose gear failed to extend — a hydraulic, electrical, or mechanical fault in the extension system — has not been determined publicly as of this writing.

This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.

Timeline

Accident Facts

Sources

• AeroXplorer, "NetJets Citation Longitude Lands Without Nose Gear at Ohio Airport"
• WKYC, "Plane makes emergency landing at Akron-Canton Airport after landing gear malfunction"
• Cleveland 19, "Emergency landing at Akron-Canton Airport due to malfunction; OSHP"
• FOX8, "VIDEO: Pilot makes rare emergency landing at Akron-Canton Airport; witnesses react"