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Disabled jet lands safely at Navy base
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A private jet landed safely at Naval Base Ventura County's Point Mugu airfield Monday afternoon, despite a landing gear malfunction that kept one of its wheels from descending.
There were 12 people on the Gulfstream G159 jet — three crew members and nine passengers, said Vance Vasquez, a spokesman for Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme.
No one was injured in the landing.
The passengers were both military and civilian employees of the Navy, Vasquez said.
The plane, owned by Phoenix Air, a private charter company, flew from the base to San Nicolas Island at 7:30 a.m. Monday. It left the island about 11 a.m. to return to the base.
The pilot noticed that the left landing gear wasn't working about 11:15, Vasquez said. He circled above the base for about an hour to burn extra fuel and prepare for the emergency landing.
The plane landed about 12:20 p.m. on Runway 21, according to a statement released by the base. Everyone aboard jumped out of the aircraft as firetrucks sprayed the craft.
"We were just happy that everybody made it OK," Vasquez said. "We had seven firetrucks and four ambulances there just in case."
Firefighters from the Naval Air Station and the Ventura County Fire Department responded when the airplane reported the problem.
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