McDonnell Douglas MD-82 – PK-LMS

Incident Overview

Date: Monday 20 October 2008

Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-82

Owner/operator: Wings Abadi Airlines

Registration Number: PK-LMS

Location: Surabaya-Juanda Airport (SUB/WARR) – ÿ Indonesia

Phase of Flight: Landing

Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 174

Component Affected: Number-two main landing gear axleNumber-two main landing gear axle

Investigating Agency: NTSCNTSC

Category: Accident

On October 20, 2008, a DC-9-82 aircraft, registered PK-LMS, experienced a landing gear detachment during a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta Soekarnou2013Hatta Airport to Juanda Airport. The aircraft had 174 passengers and three pilots, including a candidate First Officer under training, and four flight attendants. The pilot was flying as a PIC, and the pilot in command was monitoring the flight. A main wheel detached from the aircraft during approach, and the crew of an aircraft holding at the runway intersection reported the event. The crew of an aircraft holding at the runway intersection found the number-two main wheel (left inboard main landing gear) was not on the aircraft. The wheel was subsequently found on the runway shoulder, on the right side of the runway. No injuries occurred, and the passengers disembarked normally. Investigation revealed that worn inner threads in the number-two main landing gear axle contributed to the detachment, and the strength of the thread joint was insufficient to guarantee tightness. The aircraft’s flight recorder power was left on during ground inspection, hindering investigation.On October 20, 2008, a DC-9-82 aircraft, registered PK-LMS, experienced a landing gear detachment during a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta Soekarnou2013Hatta Airport to Juanda Airport. The aircraft had 174 passengers and three pilots, including a candidate First Officer under training, and four flight attendants. The pilot was flying as a PIC, and the pilot in command was monitoring the flight. A main wheel detached from the aircraft during approach, and the crew of an aircraft holding at the runway intersection reported the event. The crew of an aircraft holding at the runway intersection found the number-two main wheel (left inboard main landing gear) was not on the aircraft. The wheel was subsequently found on the runway shoulder, on the right side of the runway. No injuries occurred, and the passengers disembarked normally. Investigation revealed that worn inner threads in the number-two main landing gear axle contributed to the detachment, and the strength of the thread joint was insufficient to guarantee tightness. The aircraft’s flight recorder power was left on during ground inspection, hindering investigation.

Description

On 20 October 2008, a DC-9-82 aircraft, registered PK-LMS, was being operated on a scheduled passenger service from Jakarta Soekarnou2013Hatta Airport to Juanda Airport, Surabaya. There were 174 persons on board; three pilots, four flight attendants, and 167 passengers. The pilot flying was a candidate First Officer (copilot) under training, and the Pilot in Command (PIC) was the instructor acting as the support/monitoring pilot. One qualified copilot occupied the jump seat in the cockpit. The pilots subsequently reported that the approach to Surabaya was normal. The crew of an aircraft holding at the runway intersection reported that a main wheel detached from LMS as it touched down. The crew of LMS taxied the aircraft to the apron, and during the transit check found that the number-two main wheel (left inboard main landing gear) was not on the aircraft. The wheel was subsequently found on the runway shoulder, on the right side of the runway. None of the aircraft’s occupants were injured and they disembarked normally. The investigation found that the worn inner threads of the axle number two (left main landing gear) caused the detachment of the axle nut and the separation of the wheel from the axle wheel number two. The strength and tightness of the thread joint could not be assured by the magnitude of tightening torque. The power source to the aircraft’s flight recorders was left on during the ground inspection immediately following the serious incident, so all cockpit voice data was overwritten and not available to the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) issued recommendations to PT. Wings Abadi Airlines during the investigation to inspect the fleet to ensure the serviceability of landing gear axle threads. The NTSC also recommended that the airline should promulgate procedures requiring flight crew and maintenance personnel to deactivate the power source to flight recorders as soon as practicable after an accident or serious incident. The NTSC also urged the DGCA to ensure that Indonesian operators have flight recorder deactivation procedures and they are implemented.

Primary Cause

Worn inner threads in the number-two main landing gear axle caused the detachment of the axle nut and separation of the wheel from the axle.Worn inner threads in the number-two main landing gear axle caused the detachment of the axle nut and separation of the wheel from the axle.

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