Recorders recovered after NYC gear collapse

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of a plane whose front landing gear collapsed, sending it skidding along the tarmac at New York City's LaGuardia Airport.

The recorders were recovered this afternoon, one day after the hard landing caused LaGuardia's temporary closure. Officials say the recorders were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's lab in Washington for downloading and analysis.

The nose gear of Southwest Airlines Flight 345 arriving from Nashville, Tenn., collapsed Monday right after the plane touched down on the runway, officials said.

"When we got ready to land, we nosedived," said a passenger, Sgt. 1st Class Anniebell Hanna of the South Carolina National Guard.

Ten passengers were treated at the scene, and six were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, said Thomas Bosco, acting director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the area airports. The six crew members were taken to another hospital for observation.

Bosco said there was no advance warning of any possible problem before the landing.