Plane nose out of joint

Photo / NZPA

Three people escaped injury last night after the nose wheel on this small plane failed to come down - forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at Hawkes Bay Airport.

Emergency services responded just after 9pm to calls saying a plane had crashed. However, when police, fire and ambulance staff arrived, they found that no one had been injured.

A man who saw the plane minutes before the crash-landing said it appeared the front wheel had collapsed.

"The aircraft kept circling for a long time, so it looked like something was going to happen."

A fire crew remained at the scene for about two hours as a safety precaution.

Police spokesman Inspector Paul Jermy said the incident "certainly would have been frightening" for the people on board the plane.