Landing Gear

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    Airbus Landing Gear Problem Returns Air France Flight to Veneuzuela

    What: Air France Airbus A330-200 en route from Caracas Venezuela to Paris
    Where: Caracas
    When: Apr 13th 2011
    Who: 207 passengers
    Why: Unable to retract the landing gear, the plane circled for three hours to burn off fuel and made a safe landing in Caracas.

    No doubt the situation caused significant anxiety. Any time an Air France flight originating in a South American country has a problem en route en route to Paris, the passengers in crisis must inevitably remember what happened to Air France Flight 447 and wonder if they too will become innocent victims, and statistics lost at sea.

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    Hard Landing in Cairo by Egyptair


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Giovanni Verbeeck

    What: Egyptair Airbus A321-200 en route from Brussels (Belgium) to Cairo (Egypt)
    Where: Cairo
    When: Apr 1st 2011
    Who: 76 passengers
    Why: On landing at Cairo, the crew aborted the initial approach on receipt of an unsafe gear indication.The plane rotated with the airport to the right, and leveled off.

    The cabin crew announced the flight would be landing later due to traffic then made a hard landing on runway 23L. The plane rolled out, with firetrucks on standby. The landing gear was examined on the runway.

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    Last Call

    What: Chart Air flight en route from Ngukurr to Katherine
    Where: Katherine, Australia
    When: March 29, 2011
    Why: When the plane’s landing gear did not work properly, the plane circled the airport for 45 minutes. Passengers were “advised to call their loved ones.

    Maybe the pilot was young or inexperienced. I don’t know. I do know that it is not all that rare for planes to have landing gear problems. Usually it is something that is handled fairly easily. Usually they foam the runway to prevent a fire, and the plane lands on its belly, usually after flying by the control tower to get visual confirmation on the status of the landing gear.

    I’m not sure what I think about telling passengers to make that phone call. That pilot might have caused some unnecessary panic. There will probably be some negative consequences for some of these people who experienced flying on the plane and having the pilot practically promise them their goose was cooked and they were going to die.

    Is this Chart Air protocol I wonder? In my opinion, however well-meant it is, it is not particularly a good thing for a pilot to induce panic and terror into one’s passengers.

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    Bolivia Belly Landing 33 Safe


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Propfreak

    What: AM Transporte Aereo Militar Xian MA-60 en route from La Paz to Rurrenabaque
    Where: Rurrenabaque Bolivia
    When: Mar 18th 2011
    Who: 33 aboard
    Why: On landing at Rurrenabaque the landing gear failed to deploy. The flight performed a belly landing with no injuries reported. Minor damage on the plane. The gear problem may have been due to a hydraulic leak but the circumstances are under investigation.

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    Comair Flight Resurrects Spector of Tragedy


    Pictured: The team lost in the 1970 crash

    What: Comair flight en route from Atlanta to Charleston
    Where: Lexington Bluegrass Airport
    When: Mar 10, 2011
    Who: passengers include 9 Marshall assistant football coaches
    Why: After visiting Texas Christian University and Mississippi state, Marshall coaches reunited in Atlanta with the intent of returning to Atlanta on the same plane.

    Prior to takeoff, that plane developed unknown issues and the flight was delayed as a replacement plane had to be brought in.

    Then, while en route, the replacement plane developed a problem with the landing gear. The pilot diverted to Lexington Bluegrass Airport and made a safe landing.

    While they apparently endured the flight with aplomb and some extra prayers, there was no outward panic, but one can only guess how the coaches felt. With two problems on two separate planes, they were no doubt remembering the fatal 1970 plane crash that took Marshall’s football team. Is Marshall University cursed or what? If I went to Marshall, or especially played football for Marshall, I’dt be thinking about alternative transportation.

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    Emergency Landing: Safety for Tripoli Evacuation


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Vivek Manvi

    What: Air India Airbus A330-200 en route from Tripoli to Delhi
    Where: Malta
    When: Mar 6th 2011
    Why: After taking off from Tripoli, the landing gear failed to retract. The pilot diverted to Malta and made a safe landing.

    So far, of 18,000 Indians expats, 9,200 people had been evacuated from Tripoli. Egypt Air has also been making chartered flights to bring Indian citizens back home in “Operation Safe Homecoming.” As of Mar 2, Air India had retrieved 6 flights worth of passengers.

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    Cessna Emergency Landing at Hagerstown

    What: Cessna
    Where: Hagerstown Regional Airport
    When: Feb 26, 2011, 2:30
    Who: pilot
    Why: The pilot reported a loss of oil pressure. Also, the nose wheel of the single-engine Cessna did not come down, which was verified by a flyby for the tower.

    On landing, the prop hit the runway. The Maugansville Volunteer Fire Co arrived after the plane had landed.

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    Delta MD-88 Lands in Show of Sparks

    What: Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88en route from Atlanta,GA to Little Rock, AR
    Where: Little Rock
    When: Jan 19, 2011
    Who: 78 people on board,
    Why: On approach to Little Rock, the plane suffered an unsafe gear indication due to a hydraulics problem, and performed a go round for visual confirmation.

    The approach was aborted until the gear could be manually extended. Then the plane landed safely with emergency services on standby. No injuries were reported and passengers left the plane singing the captain’s praises.

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    Cessna Lands in NC

    What: Twin Engine Cessna
    Where: Cape Fear Regional Jetport, Brunswick County
    When: Jan 3, 2010
    Who: Pilot
    Why: The pilot could not land as his landing gear did not deploy and keyed an Unsafe Gear indication. The pilot manually deployed the gear, and landed without any more issues.

    He landed with Oak Island Fire and Rescue, Oak Island Police, Yaupon Beach Fire Department, and Brunswick County Emergency Services on standby.

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    Cityhopper Flight Interrupted


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Marc Stier

    What: KLM Cityhopper Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Amsterdam Netherlands to Bordeaux
    Where: Amsterdam
    When: Dec 9 2010
    Who: not available
    Why: After takeoff, the plane could not retract the landing gear. The flight returned to Amsterdam and made a safe landing. A replacement jet was flown in without further incident.

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    Porter Airlines Emergency Landing

    What: Porter Airlines
    Where: Ottawa Airport
    When: Dec 6 2010 8:40 am
    Who: 28 aboard
    Why: The pilot informed the airport that he was having problems with his landing gear, and did a flyby to confirm the issue. But the plane landed safely with the gear down.

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    Air India Airbus Jammed Landing Gear, Jammed Brakes, Jammed Runway

    What: Air India Airbus A310-300 en route from Thiruvananthapuram India to Dammam Saudi Arabia
    Where: Thiruvananthapuram
    When: Nov 10th 2010
    Who: 82 passengers including 2 infants
    Why: After takeoff, the flight developed problems with a landing gear. The pilot burned off fuel, and made a hard but safe landing, but the brakes jammed. The disabled plane had to be towed, tying up the runway for several hours.

    The plane was grounded after the emergency landing. Passengers were accommodated on other flights or sent to local hotels.

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    Singapore Airlines Flight Cancelled Due to Faulty Landing Gear


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer TonySilgrim

    What: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300 en route from Houston,TX (USA) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia)
    Where: Houston
    When: Nov 8th 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the plane could not fully retract the landing gear . As a result, the flight circled Houston attempting a fix, with the right hand main gear door open until they landed safely an hour after taking off. Passengers were booked on alternative flights.

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    Kingfisher Emergency Landing in Mumbai

    What: Kingfisher Airbus A320-200 en route from Hyderabad to Mumbai
    Where: Mumbai, India
    When: Oct 21 2010
    Who: 136 aboard
    Why: On final approach to Mumbai, the plane incurred a bird strike which struck the landing gear. The plane made a safe landing at Mumbai, although there was some damage to the plane. Everyone made it safely off the plane.

    Newspapers reported “bird was trapped inside the wheels of the plane.”

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    Emirates: Flight Called Due to Hydraulics


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Szabo Gabor

    What: Emirates Boeing 777-200 en route from Kochi to Dubai
    Where: Kochi India
    When: Oct 12, 2010 4.20 a.m.
    Who: 205 passengers, 14 crew
    Why: After takeoff, the flight developed hydraulic problems with the landing gear.

    The plane had to return to Kochi. After landing, 75 passengers were accommodated on the 10:30 flight. The rest of the passengers were accommodated at hotels and promised the next available flights out.

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    Milwaukee: Another CRJ Gear Up Landing


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer

    What: Skywest Canadair CRJ-200 en route from Omaha,NE to Milwaukee,WI
    Where: Milwaukee
    When: Sep 28th 2010
    Who: 36 passengers and 3 crew
    Why: Averting their first approach to Milwaukee, the crew received a gear up message. They performed a flyby confirming the situation, attempted several times to get the gear down, and finally touched down with the left gear up.

    The plane slid down the runway on its nose gear, right hand main gear and left wing, and although I don’t think anyone recorded the sparks as in the JFK landing with the flight attendant’s relentless “stay down” directive, the landing was no doubt just as dramatic and successful.

    Passengers disembarked through the main door.

    CBS news quoted a passenger who said he heard the crew attempt to put down the gear 4 or 5 times. Bombardier spokesman Marc Duchesne said, “The aircraft has logged more than 27 million flight hours and more than 22 million takeoff and landing cycles, so these are very good and reliable aircraft.” The plane is designed for short hops.

    Fortunately, the crew flying these aircraft seem to be made of more heroic and substantial backbone than the landing gear.

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    Update: CRJ Gear Foulup at JFK, Atlanta, Philadelphia, O’Hare, et al.

    What: Atlantic Southeast/Delta Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Atlanta to White Plains, New York
    Where: New York
    When: Sept 25 2010 8:20 pm
    Who: 60 passengers 4 crew

    The fifth + landing gear failure in the US in five years has launched an engineering investigation of Bombardier’s CRJ landing gear. The objective of the investigation is to determine if there is a connection between all of the gear failures.

    • SkyWest CRJ200, operating under a code-share with AirTran as Flight 3074 from Omaha, Neb., made an emergency landing with one gear retracted at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport (Sept 28 2010)
    • Atlantic Southeast Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 at JFK landing gear up (September 25 2010)
    • SkyWest Airlines Flight 6467 CRJ200 couldn’t extend its nose landing gear on approach to Ontario (Calif.) International Airport. (May 23 2010)
    • Atlantic Southeast jet–a 50-seat CRJ200–couldn’t fully extend its left main landing gear, but again, managed to land safely at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. (June 11 2009)
    • Air Wisconsin CRJ200 on a flight from Norfolk, Virginia landed at Philadelphia International Airport with its left main gear retracted. (Dec 14 2008) The prelim. NTSB indicates that mechanics attached the upper attachment bolt for the left main landing gear uplock assembly to the airplane structure only, rather than both the structure and the uplock mechanism as called for in the design
    • CRJ700 operated by Mesa Airlines received an unsafe gear indication for the left main gear as it approached for landing in South Bend, Ind. The crew declared an emergency and returned to land with the left main gear still retracted on Runway 28 at O’Hare. (Dec 15 2008) The investigation found that improper positioning of the inboard main landing gear door during rigging caused premature wear of parts that eventually restricted the movement of the door during its extension.
    • South Africa Express CRJ200 gear up landing on flight from Cape Town to Windhoek, Namibia( April 17 2010).

    Saturday the landing gear of a CRJ failed, resulting in a dramatic landing at JFK. The dragging wing created a “shower of sparks” during the landing.

    George’s Point of View

    How many times is enough?

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    Skywest emergency Landing in Milwaukee

    What: Skywest Airlines CRJ200 en route from Omaha, Nebraska
    Where: Milwaukee
    When: Sept 28, 2010 5:10 pm
    Who: 36 passengers, 3 crew
    Why: While en route, the landing gear malfunctioned.

    The crew notified Milwaukee ATC of the malfunction ten minutes prior to landing; and subsequently made a safe landing on one gear (of three) at Mitchell International Airport. The airplane scraped its wing but the extent of damage is not known.

    The passengers were all safely evacuated; and the airport remained closed for 45 minutes.

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    JFK Emergency Landing

    What: Atlantic Southeast/Delta Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 en route from Atlanta to White Plains, New York
    Where: New York
    When: Sept 25 2010 8:20 pm
    Who: 60 passengers 4 crew
    Why: Approaching White Plains, the crew realized the right landing gear was jammed. The pilots diverted to JFK, and made an emergency landing described as being “a shower of sparks” on the tarmac but no fire ensued. The plane skidded to a stop leaning to one side, after utilizing only 2/3 of the landing gear.

    Passengers rode a bus to terminal three, and told reporters about their terrifying landing, full of praises for the captain and crew. Delta apparently provided a bus to take them to their correct destination.


    Shower of Sparks amateur Video

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    Polish Cargo flight Emergency Landing

    What: DHL-chartered/Polish transport firm Exin Co twin-engine Antonov AN-26 turboprop cargo plane en route from Tallinn to Helsinki
    When: August 25, 2010
    Who: 4 crew members
    Why: The landing gear retracted before the plane was airborne and made an emergency landing on a frozen lake—apparently not the first time this has happened.

    An Estonian politician asked the Estonian Civil Aviation Authority “how it is possible that the same company with a same type of plane could fall victim to two almost identical accidents at the same airport within a short time.”

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    UA Boeing Evacuated During Fire


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer Manuel Wenger

    What: United Airlines Boeing 767 en route from London to Chicago
    Where: Chicago
    When: August 4, 2010
    Who: 178 passengers and 12 crew, 7 injuries
    Why: On landing in Chicago, the left main gear caught on fire. As the plane waited on the runway, the fire was put out by fire crews who sprayed the gear and surrounding areas with fire retardant.

    Emergency slides were deployed, and half the passengers evacuated via them, which is where the injuries occurred. After the fire was out, the slides were no longer used. About five were hospitalized after suffering minor injuries during the evacuation. Some individuals were treated at the airport and released.

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    Brazil: Linhas Aereas Runway Excursion


    Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
    Contact photographer SkyLiner

    What: TRIP Linhas Aereas Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 en route from Sao Paulo to Ipatinga to Governador Valadares to Vitoria
    Where: Ipatinga Brazil
    When: Jun 28 2010
    Who: 47 passengers and 4 crew
    Why: On landing at Ipatinga, the plane veered off the runway. On touch down, the landing gear came loose and was damaged. The pilot announced to passengers that the left hand propeller did not go into reverse due to a malfunction.

    A replacement flight was provided to accommodate passengers flying through to Governador Valadares or Vitoria.

    There were no injuries. No opinion has yet been issued on whether the damage was due to a high speed landing or other cause. ANAC is investigating.

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    Philadelphia Emergency Landing

    What: Wings Aviation Group single engine Beechcraft Bonanza
    Where: NE Philadelphia Airport
    When: June 21 2010
    Who: pilot and passenger
    Why: The single-engine plane landed on the runway without its nose gear. After landing on the main wheel, the flight skidded on its belly flinging sparks. No one was injured.

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    Durban Emergency Landing

    What: One Time McDonnell Douglas MD-87 en route from Durban to Cape Town
    Where: Durban
    When: Jun 23rd 2010
    Why: After takeoff, the landing gear did not retract, according to the cockpit indicators. The pilot did a flyby to confirm, and the plane returned safely to King Shaka International Airport. Passengers took alternative flights. The MD-87 was flown to Johannesburg for maintenance and repairs.

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    Piper Emergency Landing in Czech Republic

    What: Argus Geo Systém Piper PA-23 Aztec
    Where: Hradec Kralove airfield Czech Republic
    When: June 11 2010
    Who: pilot Laco Nagy and passenger Milan Nejedlý
    Why: After on an aerial photography mission, the plane had problems retracting landing gear but after circling for three hours to burn off fuel, landed safely on foam in the airfield. Thirty rescue workers and seven fire tankers were on standby. Nagy, a former military pilot is credited with a masterful landing.