Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 29 September 2013
Aircraft Type: Airbus A320-216
Owner/operator: Alitalia
Registration Number: EI-EIB
Location: Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) – ÿ Italy
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 157
Component Affected: The right-hand undercarriage actuator.The right-hand undercarriage actuator.
Investigating Agency: ANSVANSV
Category: Accident
An Airbus A320-216 operated by Alitalia suffered a significant landing accident at Rome-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on 20:10, resulting in a missed approach and emergency landing. The aircraft’s crew attempted to lower the undercarriage, triggering a Master Warning and an ECAM message indicating ‘L/G Gear Not Downlocked’. They initiated a missed approach and a holding pattern, resulting in a maximum g-force of 1.75g. Attempts to recycle the landing gear and again apply gravity extension were unsuccessful, leading to an emergency landing.An Airbus A320-216 operated by Alitalia suffered a significant landing accident at Rome-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on 20:10, resulting in a missed approach and emergency landing. The aircraft’s crew attempted to lower the undercarriage, triggering a Master Warning and an ECAM message indicating ‘L/G Gear Not Downlocked’. They initiated a missed approach and a holding pattern, resulting in a maximum g-force of 1.75g. Attempts to recycle the landing gear and again apply gravity extension were unsuccessful, leading to an emergency landing.

Description

An Airbus A320-216 operated by Alitalia suffered substantial damage in a landing accident at Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Italy. Flight 063 departed Madrid, Spain on a regular passenger flight to Rome-Fiumicino. While on approach to runway 16L at Rome-Fiumicino Airport at 20:10 the crew attempted to lower the undercarriage. A Master Warning sounded and the ECAM showed a message “L/G GEAR NOT DOWNLOCKED”. The crew carried out a missed approach procedure and entered a holding pattern at the Campagnano VOR. A g-force manoeuvre was carried out with the landing gear lever down. This resulted in a maximum value of 1.75g, according to DFDR data. When this attempt failed, they tried to recycle the landing gear and later again a gravity extension, but all measures were unsuccessful. Consequently, the crew requested an emergency landing at Rome-Fiumicino Airport. The aircraft touched down on runway 16L at 21.01with the right landing gear only partially extended. The flight crew shut down both engines just before touchdown. The subsequent evacuation was uneventful and there were no injuries. CAUSES (translated from Italian): The cause of the event is attributable to the failure of the right hand undercarriage actuator. In the same, there was a hydraulic block caused by multiple debris found within the actuator itself (as well as in the hydraulic fluid), presumably in the restrictor zone. The origin of this debris was identified in the material from the two elements called “spirolox ring” and “damping rings” found missing from their design position. This failure seems to result in a defect in the design of the “spirolox ring”, the effect of which has resulted in premature deterioration and subsequent fall of the same element, resulting in internal damage found during the actuator analysis.

Primary Cause

Failure of the right-hand undercarriage actuator.Failure of the right-hand undercarriage actuator.

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