NTSB Says Southwest Nose Gear “Collapsed Rearward”

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says the nose gear of a Southwest Airlines jet collapsed backward and into the body of the aircraft following a hard landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

The NTSB found the landing gear "collapsed rearward and upward into the fuselage, damaging the electronics bay that houses avionics."

The agency said on its Twitter feed the plane skidded 2,175 feet before stopping at the edge of the runway Monday.

It posted a photo showing the jet's electronics bay penetrated by the landing gear with only the right axle still attached.

Investigators recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders on Tuesday. They'll be analyzed by the NTSB.

Sixteen passengers suffered minor injuries during Flight 345's landing. The plane was coming from Nashville, Tenn.