WARSAW, Poland — A Boeing airliner carrying 231 people from the U.S. landed on its belly today in Warsaw after its landing gear failed to open, triggering sparks and small fires. No one was hurt, but a relative of a passenger said some on board panicked, crying and bidding final farewells to each other.

The pilots of the Polish LOT airlines flight from Newark discovered a problem with the chassis ahead of touching ground. They circled the 767 above the airport for about an hour before descending without lowering the wheels, said Przemyslaw Przybylski, a spokesman for the Warsaw airport.

LOT spokesman Leszek Chorzewski said the plane landed with nearly empty fuel tanks after dumping fuel in preparation for the emergency landing.