Dramatic moment plane is forced to make an emergency landing – with sparks flying as it scraped along the runway

Dramatic footage shows the moment a plane made an emergency landing in the dark after its landing gear failed during its approach.

Sparks were seen flying from the Beechcraft 58 Baron as it landed at Gold Coast Airport around 9pm on Tuesday night.

The plane was forced to circle the airport for about an hour in an attempt to burn fuel and reduce the chance of ignition before landing.

It is understood that the two experienced pilots turned off all the plane’s electrical systems to prevent flammable fuels from catching fire during the descent.

Sparks could be seen coming from under the fuselage of the plane as it landed on the runway without the landing gear deployed.

Emergency services, including intensive care paramedics, were stationed on the runway in case of a failed landing.

‘We prepare for the worst. And I’m just hoping for the best,” a Queensland Ambulance Services spokesperson said.

Both pilots were evaluated, but did not need to be transported to the hospital; both emerged from the terrifying experience unscathed.

The Beechcraft 58 Baron is owned by Air Gold Coast, a Queensland flight school that has been offering training courses for almost 60 years.

A Gold Coast Airport spokeswoman said: ‘A light aircraft experienced a technical problem with its landing gear while approaching Gold Coast Airport last night.

‘The experienced pilots on board landed the aircraft safely with the landing gear retracted. “There are no ongoing impacts to airport operations.”

‘The two pilots, aged between 40 and 60, were assessed at the scene by paramedics. Nobody was hurt.’

The cause of the incident will now be investigated.

WhatsNew2Day Australia has contacted Air Gold Coast for comment.