Avro RJ85 – OO-DJN – Air Crash Data

Incident Overview

Date: Friday 10 March 2006

Aircraft Type: Avro RJ85

Owner/operator: Brussels Airlines

Registration Number: OO-DJN

Location: Gothenburg/Landvetter airport – ÿ Sweden

Phase of Flight: Landing

Status: Substantial, repaired

Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 32

Component Affected: Nose wheel locking mechanismNose wheel locking mechanism

Investigating Agency: SHKSHK

Category: Accident

A commercial aircraft experienced a significant incident during a flight from Gothenburg to Landvetter airport. After takeoff, the nose wheel gear was not retracted and locked, prompting the pilots to return to the departure airport. Following a low-fly-by over the airport to assess landing gear position, the pilots landed on runway 03. During the fly-by, ground personnel confirmed that all landing gear was lowered, leading to a landing on runway 03. The aircraft executed a smooth landing with the nose wheel extended for approximately 2.5 seconds before folding it back into the retracted position. The aircraft slid further, supported by its nose and main landing gear, resulting in a 300-meter skid. No injuries occurred, and the evacuation was conducted via slides. A cabin crew member experienced difficulties securing the rear left door, which impeded the evacuation process. A grease nipple blockage in the nose wheel locking mechanism was identified as the primary cause, preventing proper lubrication and resulting in the jamming of the mechanism. The certification requirements for emergency evacuation from an inclined aircraft do not explicitly address the requirement for door security in the open position, contributing to the incident.A commercial aircraft experienced a significant incident during a flight from Gothenburg to Landvetter airport. After takeoff, the nose wheel gear was not retracted and locked, prompting the pilots to return to the departure airport. Following a low-fly-by over the airport to assess landing gear position, the pilots landed on runway 03. During the fly-by, ground personnel confirmed that all landing gear was lowered, leading to a landing on runway 03. The aircraft executed a smooth landing with the nose wheel extended for approximately 2.5 seconds before folding it back into the retracted position. The aircraft slid further, supported by its nose and main landing gear, resulting in a 300-meter skid. No injuries occurred, and the evacuation was conducted via slides. A cabin crew member experienced difficulties securing the rear left door, which impeded the evacuation process. A grease nipple blockage in the nose wheel locking mechanism was identified as the primary cause, preventing proper lubrication and resulting in the jamming of the mechanism. The certification requirements for emergency evacuation from an inclined aircraft do not explicitly address the requirement for door security in the open position, contributing to the incident.

Description

After takeoff from Gothenborg/Landvetter airport the red light on the instrument panel, indicating that the nose wheel gear was not retracted and locked, did not extinguish. When the pilots, after several tries, did not manage to get normal function of the landing gear they requested to go back and land at the departure airport. During the return flight the pilots requested to make a low fly-by over the airport to try to get the position of the landing gear checked from the ground by airport personnel. This was accepted and the aircraft made an ILS approach 1 to runway 03 and levelled out at 200?300 above ground level. The low pass was made parallel to runway 03 and approximately halfway between the runway and the control tower. After the fly-by, during which the pilots heard that staff on the ground thought that all the landing gear was lowered, they decided to land on runway 03. A smooth landing was achieved on the main gear at about 100 knots IAS and with the nose wheel in the air. The nose wheel remained extended for about 2.5 seconds after its first contact with the ground, and then the nose wheel gear folded forwards towards its retracted state. The nose of the aircraft hit the runway and the aircraft slid further, supported by its nose and the main landing gear for about 300 meters before it stopped. No one onboard was injured and the evacuation was made via slides. During the evacuation one of the cabin crew, a female, had difficulties to lock the rear left door in full open position which made the evacuation difficult. The technical investigation has showed that a grease-nipple on the nose wheel locking mechanism was blocked resulting in insufficient lubrication causing the mechanism to jam. Furthermore the Board has noted that the certification requirements for emergency evacuation from an inclined aircraft do not contain a requirement for the door to be capable of being secured in the open position. The accident was caused by seizure of the nose wheel locking mechanism as a result of a blocked grease nipple, which prevented correct lubrication.