The nose landing gear on a US Airways jet collapsed Thursday morning as it attempted to push away from the terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport.
"We started moving and all of a sudden there was a shudder -- a pretty loud noise," passenger Karen Sukel told WTAE-TV. "We initially thought we hit something."
One of the 73 passengers on Flight 231 bound for West Palm Beach, Fla., was injured during the 9:40 a.m. incident when the nose of the plane crashed to the tarmac, said US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant.
"The passenger indicated he had back and neck pains," Durrant said.
The unidentified passenger reported the incident exacerbated an existing injury, Durrant said. An airline employee escorted the passenger to a local hospital, he said.
The pilot told passengers there was a problem with the landing gear and that it seemed to have "sheared off."
Scott Klavon, the head of the Society of Automotive Engineers' aerospace division, of Warrendale, said it's likely the pilot was using the word "shear" in a generic sense and that incidents like this are rare.
Landing gear is beat up with every flight because it hits debris and runs through chemicals such as de-icing spray, he said.
"The landing gear is one of the highest-maintenance costs of an airplane," he said. "It's inspected every flight."
The plane was tilting forward, but Sukel said passengers in the front noticed the collapse more than those in the middle or rear.
"Some of the overhead compartments opened, but I didn't see anything fall out," said Sukel, who was traveling to Florida to visit friends.
Passengers exited the aircraft using mobile stairs and boarded another plane, Durrant said.
The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the incident, which occurred only a few feet from Gate B27. Durrant said officials did not yet know why the nose landing gear collapsed.
The Boeing 737 jet was built in 1989 and does not have a history of problems, according to Durrant and FAA records.
