Emergency crews responded to a small airplane that made a hard landing on Tuesday and got stuck on the runway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).
According to RDU, a small plane with a pilot and three passengers on board called air traffic control with a nose gear issue around 6 p.m.
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Kim Minor, who was on the plane with her husband, 10-year-old twins and their four dogs, said no one was injured.
"The front landing gear didn't go down all the way," she said. "Instead of landing in Harnett County, we decided to divert to RDU and be safe."
According to aviation expert Jim Crouse, the pilot appeared to mitigate any possible injuries on the landing.
"Maybe this pilot cut the engine and stopped the propeller from turning, as he was rolling down the runway on his main gear," Crouse said. "Looks like the pilot did a good job."
Sky 5 was at the scene and showed the plane on its nose gear.
This is the second small plane to have issues landing at the airport in the past two months. In April, a small plane carrying a UNC physician and a pilot "bounced" on the runway and crashed.
Crouse said he looks for silver linings in situations like this.
"Most people walk away from these crashes, which is a testament to the equipment and maintenance, and to the piloting skills of those flying the aircraft," he said.
Authorities at RDU closed Runway 5 Right while they towed the aircraft away. The runway has since reopened.
Minor thanked those involved for making sure she and her family were safe.
"Everyone – the fire, EMT and especially the RDU team – were great," she said.