As they approached Newark Liberty International Airport, passengers aboard Shuttle America Flight 5124 from Atlanta thought they were going to die.

“We just thought it was the end,” said Steve Parowski of Franklin Lakes. “I just sent a text to my sons letting them know that I loved them, and I hoped everything worked out.”

Things did work out as a commuter jet carrying 71 people made an emergency landing Monday night, after its front landing gear failed to deploy because of hydraulic problems, authorities said.

The pilot managed to guide the plane in for a safe landing with only its rear landing gear lowered. After the plane coasted to a stop, passengers were able to exit unharmed via an emergency slide.

The United Shuttle Air Express jet did not catch fire, and came to rest slumped forward, the underside of its nose resting on the pavement, its tail propped up by the rear landing gear, which had deployed properly.

“On approach, the flight crew was not able to confirm that the nose gear had deployed correctly,” said a statement by Indianapolis-based Shuttle America, which operates the shuttle on behalf of United Express.

“After receiving confirmation from Newark Air Traffic Control that the nose gear was not down, the crew declared an emergency,” the statement read.

Parowski, 49, said the passengers were told at least 45 minutes out to prepare for the landing. The time was spent with the flight crew telling people what would have to be done.

Passengers who were interviewed later at the airport said the flight crew was “amazing” and professional, and the pilot did a great job keeping the plane steady on the runway and making a safe emergency landing.

They waited several hours in the terminal, being interviewed by United representatives and waiting for their luggage.

Before attempting to land, Parowski said, the plane circled New York and did one flyby over Newark Airport. At that time, he said, passengers could see the emergency vehicles lined up on the runway.

On landing, the plane flew in with its nose up, Parowski said. At some point, the nose dropped and hit the runway, he said, and the plane filled with smoke and the smell of burning rubber.

Passengers then saw foam being applied to the plane, and in a few minutes they exit via an emergency chute.

Port Authority spokesman Ron Marsico said no one was hurt in the mishap, which he said was due to “nose gear issues.”

The passengers, who were flying to Newark from Atlanta, were taken by bus to Terminal C from the spot on the tarmac where the fully loaded Embraer 170 came to rest.

The airport was shut down, disrupting dozens of departing and arriving flights, but it reopened shortly after 7 p.m.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive at Newark Liberty to begin an investigation of the incident. An NTSB spokesman, Nicholas Worrell, could not confirm whether investigators were headed to the scene last night.

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