PILOT BELLY-LANDS AT BURBANK STUCK LANDING GEAR SETS OFF DRAMA IN SKY PILOT ESCAPES INJURY IN CRASH-LANDING.

Byline: Phillip W. Browne Staff Writer

A pilot flying with crippled landing gear made a dramatic emergency landing at Burbank Airport on Wednesday when several attempts to ``jerk'' the landing gear into place failed.

Guided by a calm but forceful air traffic controller, the pilot identified as Benjamin Ross belly-landed the Piper Comanche PA-24-250 on an unpaved strip between two runways at 3:05 p.m., drawing cheers from spectators and crowds inside the terminal who watched the scene unfold on television.

Seconds after the plane touched down, Ross jumped out of the cockpit and ran away, fearing his 40 minutes worth of remaining fuel might ignite, airport officials said. There was no fire and the pilot escaped without injury.

``He already has something to be very happy about for the New Year. It was a nice slide landing,'' said Mark Hardyment, the airport's deputy director of operations. ``This has only happened two or three times that I know of in the past 11 years.''

Airport officials completely shut down Runway 15 during the operation, and briefly closed the runway that commercial jetliners use, Hardyment said. Commercial planes were delayed only between 5 and 10 minutes.

The Piper Comanche, built in 1958, is registered to Kenneth G. Stickney of Glendale. Stickney said he rented the plane to Ross for one day so he could fly to Las Vegas.

Ross and Stickney are members of a ``pilots co-op,'' a group of pilots who make their planes available to one another for rental and loan, Stickney said.

``During the whole time he was trying to manage the problem, my mechanic was on the radio with him, trying to direct him to get the gear down,'' Stickney said.

Ross could not be reached for comment.

The drama began about 2 p.m. when Ross radioed the tower at Van Nuys Airport and told controllers his landing gear was not working, said Stacy Geere, spokeswoman for Van Nuys Airport. He flew the Piper by the tower and controllers saw that his gear was only partly extended, Geere said.

Ross had taken off from Burbank and was making a stop at Van Nuys to pick up passengers, Stickney said.

But once the problem arose, the Piper had to be diverted back to Burbank for its landing because Van Nuys officials were dealing with a biplane that crash-landed on its nose, Geere said. The biplane skidded off a runway at Van Nuys, causing minor injuries to two people aboard, said Jim Wells of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Back at Burbank, Ross made several flybys near his landing site, trying to force the landing gear into place, Hardyment said. When his attempts were unsuccessful, airport officials removed all cars, planes and debris from Runway 15 to prepare for his landing, Hardyment said.

Ross completely retracted the landing gear and descended slowly, landing the plane on its belly and stirring up a plume of dirt. Fire crews rushed to the aircraft and checked Ross for medical problems, Hardyment said.

A short time later, investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived to investigate the crash, Hardyment said. The National Transportation Safety Board was also notified.

Stickney said his plane was only damaged, not totaled.

``There is substantial body damage, and the propeller is torn up, so we will have to check the engine,'' Stickney said. ``But I think we'll be able to save it.''

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3 photos

Photo: (1 -- 3) The Piper Comanche, above left, circles Burbank Airport on Wednesday. The plane skids to a stop, above, after the pilot was unable to get the landing gear down. Below, firefighters and mechanics inspect the plane. The pilot was unharmed.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer