Tokyo ? An All Nippon Airways passenger plane with 60 people aboard made a successful emergency landing today in southwestern Japan after circling the airport for nearly two hours with faulty front landing gear.

No one was injured, the Transportation Ministry said.

Public broadcaster NHK showed live footage of the Bombardier DHC-8 turboprop making a controlled landing on its extended rear wheels, and carefully touching its nose to the runway.

Sparks shot from the bottom of the fuselage as the plane skidded to a halt, but there was no fire. Rescue trucks sprayed the plane with fire retardant, and people were later shown deboarding.

The plane was carrying 56 passengers and four crew members and was scheduled to land at Kochi airport in western Japan shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, the airline said. It had been circling for nearly two hours as it tried to extend its front wheel and it negotiate an emergency landing.

The cause of the failure is not yet known, ANA spokesman Daisuke Kato said.