Small plane lands hard on belly at MacArthur Airport, officials say

A twin-engine plane landed hard on its belly at a Long Island airport Tuesday night when its landing gear collapsed, authorities said.

The pilot was practicing landings and takeoffs at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma when air traffic controllers received a report just before 9 p.m. that the plane had a landing gear problem, authorities said.

The pilot, the sole occupant of the six-seat Beech Baron 55, was not injured in the incident, which shut the airport down for two hours, said the FAA and Islip Town officials.

“The gear collapsed during the landing, and it slid onto the intersection” of two runways, including the airport’s primary and longest runways, airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The fixed-wing plane is registered to LS Express LLC in Syosset, according to online FAA records.

LaRose-Arken said the aircraft is based at MacArthur and sustained damage to the belly and gear.

A flight due to land at 10:10 p.m. was held until workers made sure the airport’s four runways were clear of any debris, the commissioner said. It landed after the Baron 55 was towed to the ramp area and the airport reopened about 11 p.m., authorities said.