Incident Overview

Date: Thursday 27 April 1995
Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83)
Owner/operator: Airtours International
Registration Number: G-DEVR
Location: Manchester International Airport (MAN) – ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 178
Component Affected: The left main landing gear.The left main landing gear.
Investigating Agency: AAIBAAIB
Category: Accident
An aircraft incident occurred at Manchester following a landing at 23:16. The commander initiated increased braking pressure, leading to a loud bang and a left wing drop. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft halted. Passengers were evacuated via front and rear doors using escape slides. Minor injuries were sustained, and the incident concluded at 23:26.An aircraft incident occurred at Manchester following a landing at 23:16. The commander initiated increased braking pressure, leading to a loud bang and a left wing drop. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft halted. Passengers were evacuated via front and rear doors using escape slides. Minor injuries were sustained, and the incident concluded at 23:26.

Description

The aircraft landed at Manchester at 23:16 and the commander took control from the first officer during the latter part of the landing roll. As he applied increased pressure to the brakes there was a loud bang and the left wing dropped as the left main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft came quickly to a halt and the commander decided to disembark the passengers via the front passenger entrance door and stairs. The cabin supervisor experienced a problem with the stairs and, after a discussion with the commander, the passengers were evacuated via the front and rear service doors using the escape slides. An orderly evacuation ensued with only minor injuries being sustained; all passengers had left the aircraft by 23:26. PROBABLE CAUSE: “(1) The left MLG outer cylinder failed on the application of bending loads resulting from normal braking due to the presence of a fatigue crack, 5ÿmm long by 1.25 mm deep, located on the front face of the cylinder, close to a change in section, where bending stresses were maximum.; (2) The fatigue origin was associated with surface features produced by the gritblasting used to prepare the steel surface for high current density cadmium plating.; (3) Loads not predicted during the MLG design were encountered early in the aircraft’s life when ‘gear walking’, a MLG foreandaft vibration mode, was encountered. As a result fatigue initiated and propagated through the immediate compressive subsurface layer produced by shotpeening and designed to improve fatigue resistance.”

Primary Cause

The left MLG outer cylinder failed due to a fatigue crack, resulting in bending stresses and subsequent collapse.The left MLG outer cylinder failed due to a fatigue crack, resulting in bending stresses and subsequent collapse.

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