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By Jorge Casuso

January 7 – The Santa Monica Airport was shut down over night after the landing gear on a twin-engine plane collapsed after landing Tuesday evening, forcing it to skid to a stop, airport officials said.

Fire crews were called to the scene shortly after the incident took place at around 6:40 p.m. to ensure the plane did not catch fire. The pilot and passenger walked away from the craft having sustained no injuries, officials said.

“It really wasn’t a crash,” said Airport Manager Bob Trimborn. “It was like a car accident.

“We took an abundance of caution,” Trimborn said. “The Fire Department was called out to make sure there was no post-event fire.”

The airport remained closed until 7 a.m. Wednesday to make sure the runway was safe for landing, officials said.

“We wanted to make sure there was no debris on the runway,” Trimborn said.

The few aircraft that use the airport at night were diverted to municipal airports in Van Nuys, Hawthorne, El Monte and Burbank, officials said.

“Operations go down dramatically at night,” Trimborn said. “There are very few aircraft.”

Airport officials said the twin-turboprop Beechcraft King Air 100 twin engine plane was stationed at Santa Monica Airport. The aircraft is one of the safest, Trimborn said.

“This is the first King Aircraft that’s ever had an incident ,” said Trimborn. “King aircraft is one of the safest in the air.”

According to a television news report, firefighters sprayed the plane down with fire foam.

One witness reported a loud boom when the plane hit the ground, according to the report. The noise from the crash was heard throughout the airport.