Photos: A Florida-bound plane's nose gear collapsed during takeoff at Philadelphia International Airport

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 A Florida-bound plane's nose gear collapsed during takeoff at Philadelphia International Airport yesterday Thurs Mar 13, prompting an emergency evacuation from the runway. Airline officials said US Airways Flight 1702 was going to Fort Lauderdale, Fla , once the pilot was forced to abort takeoff soon after 6 p.m. following a tire on the plane's front landing gear blew out. The Airbus A320 jet was carrying 149 passengers and five crew members, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said.
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All were rescheduled on departing flights Thursday night, she said. One passenger requested medical attention after the crash but no serious injuries were reported, she said. An individual on the plane, Dennis Fee, told WPVI-TV that it was "very windy and once the plane took off , the nose of the plane returned down, hitting the runway.

""We were airborne, then struck back by the nose," he said.Three of the airport's four runways were reopened within several hours after the crash, with only the runway where in actuality the accident occurred remaining closed, Lupica said.