NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) – A United Airlines jetliner landed Sunday without one of its landing gear fully deployed, damaging its right wing after a frightening few moments for passengers, who were braced in the crash position before an “unbelievably smooth” touchdown that drew cheers.

All 53 people aboard got off the plane safely.

Flight 634 from Chicago was approaching Newark Liberty International Airport about 9 a.m. when the plane suddenly began ascending again, said passenger Paul Wasylyszyn of Chicago.

The plane then began circling the airport, said Jim Falk of Middletown, New Jersey, who was sitting near the front of the plane.

“Normally a big plane like that doesn’t do a bypass, so we knew something was wrong,” said Falk, 40.

The captain then came over the intercom, advising the 48 passengers that there was “an issue” with one of the landing gears on the Airbus 319 and they were trying to fix it. The captain was composed about the announcements, several passengers said, commending the crew for it.

“They did a great job,” Falk said of the captain and crew. “There was no yelling, screaming, panicking or anything.”

Despite the problem, the mood was calm, even when passengers were instructed to gird themselves for a crash, said Falk, who sent several text messages to his wife about what was happening as she was on her way to pick him up from the airport.

Passengers braced themselves in “the crash position,” Falk said.

Three minutes to landing, the passengers were told. And then: “We went down the runway, however they did it,” Falk said of the landing.