Kalitta Air Cargo boeing 747 Lands With Partial Gear at Anchorage

The Gear That Would Not Lock

Kalitta Air flight K4-615 was approaching Anchorage on September 29, 2025 when the crew received an unsafe indication for the right main landing gear. The Boeing 747-400 freighter, registered N745CK, was flying from Hong Kong to Anchorage. Instead of continuing directly to the runway, the crew stopped the descent at about 3,300 feet and entered a hold while they worked through the problem.

The aircraft remained at about 3,300 feet for roughly 30 minutes. The problem was specific: the right main landing gear had not indicated down and locked. The crew used the available time to troubleshoot rather than committing immediately to a landing with an unresolved gear indication.

The 747 eventually continued for Runway 07R. It touched down on the left main gear, the left body gear, the right body gear and the nose gear, while the right main gear remained retracted. The airplane stayed under control and came to a stop on the runway.

The Runway Was Closed

After the landing, the aircraft was not simply turned around for another flight. It remained on the runway and was later towed away several hours afterward. Flight-tracking records show N745CK remained at Anchorage through October 2 before returning to service.

The approach was not treated as a normal landing once the gear indication remained unsafe. Holding at 3,300 feet gave the crew time to work through the available procedures and allowed the airport to prepare for an abnormal landing. The aircraft was not rushed onto the runway simply because it had reached the airport.

The eventual touchdown used four sets of supporting gear: the left main gear, the left body gear, the right body gear and the nose gear. The right main remained retracted. The landing therefore placed the aircraft's weight on a configuration different from the normal 747 landing arrangement, yet the airplane remained controllable through the rollout.

After the aircraft stopped, the runway could not immediately return to normal use. The 747 had to be removed by tow, and the runway was subsequently affected by a closure associated with the event. The aircraft's return to service on October 2 shows that the emergency did not end with a write-off.

The aircraft's route from Hong Kong to Anchorage meant the abnormal landing occurred at the end of a long international cargo flight. Once the gear indication failed, the crew had to solve the problem in the terminal area rather than continuing to another destination.

The final configuration was stable enough for the crew to bring the aircraft onto Runway 07R and keep it aligned during the rollout. The report does not describe a runway excursion, fire or injury. The aircraft was stopped and later removed by tow.

The emergency landing was therefore controlled from the hold through the rollout. The aircraft was not lost, and the later return to service confirms that the damaged landing-gear configuration did not end the aircraft's operating life.

Accident facts

Chronology of the event

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