HAPPY LANDING CRIPPLED JET TOUCHES DOWN SAFELY AT LAX BURBANK DEPARTURE WAS BOUND FOR NEW YORK.

Byline: Dan Laidman and Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writers

With sparks flying as its twisted front wheel scraped along the runway, a JetBlue airliner with 145 people aboard made a picture-perfect landing Wednesday after three terrifying hours circling Los Angeles.

The pilot of Flight 292 - which departed from Burbank at 3:17 p.m. en route to New York City - landed about 6:20 p.m., touching down on the rear wheels first and then easing onto the front tires, which were turned sideways and unable to retract into the plane. With dozens of emergency vehicles lining the runway, the front tires smoked and popped as the plane slowed, using nearly all of the 10,000-foot-long airstrip before coming to a halt.

There were tense moments aboard before the plane touched down.

``At the end it was the worst because you didn't know if it was going to work, if we would catch fire. It was very scary. Grown men were crying,'' said Diane Hamilton, 32, a graphics specialist for CBS's ``The Early Show.''

But after the jetliner came to rest there was a collective sigh of relief.

``It was a first-class landing by the pilot,'' passenger Mike Miceli said in a cell-phone call to KNBC-TV (Channel 4). ``He was great. People were screaming and clapping when we landed.'' Miceli, an NBC/Universal businessman, said passengers could smell rubber burning as the tires shredded and the landing gear threw up sparks under the plane's fuselage, but remained calm as the pilots brought the plane to a stop.

``They were very-well prepared, very professional.''

The pilot came over the plane's public-address system about 10 minutes after taking off from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and announced that an illuminated light indicated the landing gear would not retract into the plane.

To ensure that the problem was not simply a sensor malfunction, the pilot diverted to Long Beach Airport, a JetBlue hub, where a low flyby allowed ground crews to see the front landing gear set at a 90-degree angle.

As the plane began circling to burn off fuel, the pilot consulted aviation experts to determine how to best land the jetliner. LAX was ultimately selected because of its emergency resources and 10,000-foot-long runway.

The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched 10 rescue ambulances, two helicopters and 10 engine companies to LAX to supplement the crash units already at the airport. The Los Angeles Police Department went on tactical alert and dispatched a squadron of police cars to the airport, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sped to the airport to be on hand and went aboard the plane to congratulate the crew.

``Thank God,'' Villaraigosa told reporters after the landing. ``Thank God for the skill of the JetBlue pilot. Thank God we have America's best emergency operations. I don't think any of us can imagine what they were going through. But I'll tell you, we're all really grateful.''

Fire officials praised the swift and massive emergency response.

``If you're going to land in a bad situation, this is where you want to be,'' Battalion Chief Lou Roupoli said, surrounded by throngs of emergency equipment and personnel.

Passengers were able to watch coverage of some of their ordeal on the in-seat television screens that JetBlue touts as one of its passenger perks. Miceli said MSNBC's broadcast of their flight was turned off about an hour before the plane's successful landing.

Minutes after the plane stopped, its door was opened and passengers walked down a stairway onto the tarmac.

Some passengers shook hands with emergency workers, talked on their cell phones and waved to cameras. One firefighter carrying a boy across the tarmac put his helmet on the child's head. Family members called the airport, asking where they could meet up with passengers.

Buses took passengers to the Tom Bradley Terminal, where they were able to meet up with relatives. About 8 p.m. a sense of relief fell over the terminal as the passengers emerged from the baggage claim area where they were greeted by joyous family members.

A crush of media captured the hugs and tears. Some passengers who wanted to avoid the media were ushered away. Others shared their experiences.

Passenger Christiana Lund, 25, had been visiting family in Van Nuys and was returning home to New York. She and other passengers sitting up front were told by the crew to take the back seats, so that the front of the plane would be lighter. She had her cat, Margot, in tow.

``She was freaking out for a while,'' Lund said of her pet. ``I gave her a sedative. Now I'm just exhausted.''

Encino resident Pia Barma said she was flying to New York to visit friends. The 23-year-old agreed that the landing was smooth, and said passengers remained calm as the anxious hours went by in the air.

There was a valuable lesson learned by all from the experience.

``This is kind of funny,'' Barma said. ``You never really read the pamphlets or pay attention to the flight attendants, but everyone was listening to every word they said.''

The flight, part of JetBlue's service from Bob Hope Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport that began in May, included 139 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots.

In a statement released on the JetBlue Web site late Monday, officials said the company is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and Airbus to investigate the incident. The airline was also assisting Flight 292 customers by offering immediate travel accommodations and other assistance as needed.

Malfunctioning landing gear is not uncommon, said FAA spokesman Donn Walker. Walker said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will both interview the crew and inspect the airplane as part of their investigation.

``Aircraft do have landing gear problems,'' Walker said. ``What is extremely rare is when you have television cameras aimed at the plane ... there were a lot of people in our office that were really stunned about how perfect that landing looked.''

Staff Writers Susan Abram, Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan Laidman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) The disabled nose gear of a JetBlue Airbus A320 airliner begins to smoke and burn as the plane makes an emergency landing Wednesday at LAX.

Stephen Carr/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Passengers walk down a ramp from a JetBlue airliner on an LAX runway Wednesday after an emergency landing.

Brad Graverson/The Daily Breeze

(3 -- color) JetBlue passenger Dave Reinitz, 39, of Burbank speaks to reporters Wednesday, comparing the Airbus A320's landing to riding the subways of New York City.

Diandra Jay/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) Passengers walk off a JetBlue airliner after it made an emergency landing. The plane, carrying 145 passengers and crew, was unable to retract its landing gear after taking off from Bob Hope Airport for New York City.

Box:

Airbus A320