NTSB Confirms Delta, Frontier Aircraft Landings Without Nose Gear in Separate Incidents

Two recent aviation incidents involved landing gear failures during approaches. A Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 landed without its nose landing gear extended after a fatigue crack caused a lock link failure, prompting two go-arounds and an emergency landing with all 104 passengers evacuated safely and no injuries reported. Separately, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo lost its left nose landing gear wheel and tire during a hard landing at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, resulting in fragments being ingested into the left engine and causing significant engine damage; the plane safely landed on a second approach with no injuries among 235 people onboard. The Frontier flight crew aborted the initial landing after hearing a loud bang and observing engine failure indications, conducting a low pass for visual confirmation of the landing gear before safely completing the landing. Investigations for both incidents are ongoing, with the Delta case attributed to mechanical fatigue and Frontier’s cause still under review. Both events highlight the critical importance of landing gear integrity and crew response in ensuring passenger safety during landing emergencies.