A runway at New York City's LaGuardia Airport, closed after landing gear on a Southwest Airlines jet collapsed on touchdown Monday evening, was reopened early Tuesday, an airport spokesman said. Eight people, including three crew members, suffered minor injuries, Southwest said. Six people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey aviation director Thomas Bosco. Bosco said there was no advance warning of any possible problem before the landing. He said the nose gear of the airplane collapsed when it landed and "the aircraft skidded down the runway on its nose and then veered off and came to rest in the grass area." The collapse closed the airport for more than one hour. Both of the airport's runways were back in use by Tuesday morning, and the Boeing 737 jetliner was being moved to a hangar. Despite the full reopening Tuesday, flight delays of up to an hour were expected for the rest of the morning, said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the incident.
