A fractured part caused the nose landing gear of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 to jam in the retracted position, forcing the crew to land without the gear extended, preliminary findings in a probe of the June 28 accident indicate.
An NTSB update on the occurrence revealed the nose gear suffered a fractured upper lock link. The problem left the lower lock link “free to swing down to a vertical position” and come in contact with the nose gear assembly. This “restricted” the gear’s movement.
The pilots of Delta Flight 1092 discovered they had an issue as they prepared to land at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) following a routine trip from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. At about 2,000 ft. above ground level (AGL) on final approach, the first officer lowered the landing gear. The pilots saw the nose wheel unsafe light illuminate, the NTSB update said. After confirming the indication in the aircraft’s electronic instrument system, the crew initiated a go around.
Attempting to lower the gear manually did not work. The crew declared an emergency and lined up for another approach to obtain visual confirmation its gear was not fully extended. Air traffic controllers confirmed the nose gear was not visible. At about 300 ft. AGL, the crew executed a second go-around.
“In an effort to lower the nose wheel, multiple normal and manual landing gear extension attempts were made to no avail and the decision was made to proceed with the landing,” the NTSB said.
On their third attempt, the pilots touched down 1,400 ft. from CLT’s on Runway 36 Left threshold. At about 80 knots, the nose was lowered onto the runway. After confirming the situation was safe, all 104 passengers and crew evacuated safely via two forward exit doors. No injuries were reported.
“The fractured lock link was sent to the NTSB materials laboratory for examination,” the board said. “The airplane’s maintenance records have been quarantined and will be subject to review.”
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