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An air safety report has found a plane's landing gear failed after take-off when a pre-existing crack in the steering link fractured, prompting an hours-long emergency.
Three people walked away unhurt after the light plane made a "textbook wheels-up" emergency landing at Newcastle Airport on May 13.
An emergency operations centre was set up within the airport's Williamtown RAAF base and emergency crews were put on stand-by, after the pilot reported the plane's landing gear had failed.
The aircraft then circled above the airport for several hours, before it made the landing just after midday.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigated and on Wednesday released its report, describing how a fatigue crack had led to a nose gear failure.
"Shortly after the aircraft departed Williamtown, the landing gear malfunctioned and jammed in a partially retracted position," the report read.
"The pilot was unable to extend the gear using the emergency procedures."
The report said despite scraping along the tarmac, the aircraft sustained only minor damage.
An ATSB report has found a fatigue crack led to a nose gear fracture in the plane. (Supplied: ATSB)
Crunching climb
The ATSB said pilot Peter Schott heard noises before realising something was wrong.
"As the pilot retracted the landing gear during the initial climb, mechanical crunching noises were heard," the ATSB said.
"The pilot saw that the red indicator lights on the landing gear control handle remained illuminated.
"An air traffic controller subsequently visually confirmed that the nose landing gear was only partially retracted."
The report said the incident appeared to be isolated.
"During the course of the investigation, the aircraft manufacturer advised the ATSB that it was not aware of other instances of this specific malfunction," the report read.
The ATSB said its database did not identify any similar previous occurrences involving King Air planes.
Operator's fleet checked
The aircraft's operator, Eastern Air Services, told the ATSB it had given its fleet a thorough check since the incident.
"Eastern Air Services reported that in the days following the incident, it conducted a maintenance inspection of the landing gear system on the other King Air B200 aircraft (registered VH-MVP) within its fleet," the report read.
"No defects were found."
The report found that "although scheduled maintenance inspections required general inspection of the nose steering parts, the inspections did not call for a detailed inspection for cracks."