ZHENGZHOU - A passenger plane with 44 people aboard nose-dived to the ground during sliding due to a landing gear fault in Central China's Zhengzhou city, airport sources said Tuesday.

The plane with 37 passengers and seven crewmen tumbled at around 6:33 pm Tuesday as it was landing at the Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province.

Flight Joy1533, operated by Joyair, was flying in from Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province. It was to fly to Hefei in Anhui province after the stop in Zhengzhou.

The aircraft was home-made Xinzhou-60.

All people aboard were evacuated after the accident. Airport workers are repairing the aircraft. The airport, which was closed after the accident, was expected to reopen after 11 pm Tuesday.

The front landing gear withdrew accidently as the aircraft was sliding, causing the nose of the plane to touch the ground, but all people aboard were safe, said an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, central and south China bureau.

Work safety authorities have launched an investigation into the accident.