S Korean jet lands with no nose, no radar

SEOUL: A South Korean jet with 200 passengers on board landed safely after hailstones blew off the plane's nose, destroyed its radar and shattered the front cockpit windows, airline officials said on Saturday.

Asiana Airlines flight 8942 was pelted with hailstones late on Friday while flying to Seoul from the southern resort island of Cheju, a spokesman at the country's second-largest carrier said by telephone.

"Hailstones took off the plane's nose and cracked the cockpit window," said the spokesman.

The hail wrecked the housing for the main radar system and also punctured its engine covers. "Our pilots had to land the jet manually without a view of what was ahead of them," the spokesman said.

The cockpit windows of the Airbus 321 jet were made of safety glass and remained in place after shattering, but it was nearly impossible to see through the glass.

Small side windows in the cockpit remained intact.

The spokesman said hail can cause enormous damage to a plane flying at high speeds. No injuries were reported.

Among the passengers, were 177 elementary school students on a school tour, the spokesman added. Pilot Lee Chang-ho and co-pilot Kim Yong-ik will receive commendations for landing the plane safely, he said.