Jet makes emergency landing at Denver airport

Authorities say a small private jet with three people on board was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport after the pilot reported problems with the landing gear.

Airport spokesman Heath Montgomery says the Hawker HS25B aircraft took off from Centennial Airport about 10 miles southeast of Denver at 11 a.m. Wednesday and circled DIA for several hours to burn off fuel in preparation for the landing. The plane landed safely just before 3:30 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

Montgomery says the jet touched down without its landing gear down, causing smoke and sparks. Emergency crews sprayed the area around the plane with foam.

The runway was closed, but Montgomery says the emergency would have little effect on other flights. He didn’t know where the plane was headed.