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16/05/2019
Flybe Emergency Landing At Belfast Airport Explained
A detailed report into why a Flybe plane was forced to carry out an emergency landing at Belfast International Airport with no nose gear has found that it was due to a damaged piece of equipment.
The problem was ultimately due to a cable tie that restricted the flexibility of a part of the landing system, as revealed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
53 passengers were onboard the flight from Belfast City to Inverness when the fault was detected on 10 November 2017. The crew elected to divert to Belfast International but were unable to lower the landing gear, forcing them to ground the aircraft with the nose landing gear up.
An emergency evacuation was carried out and two passengers sustained minor injuries.
The AAIB investigation found that a damaged electrical harness affected the readings of a sensor so that the nose landing gear doors started to close while the landing gear was still moving. This then caused the nose landing gear to become jammed in the 'up' position, so that it would not extend when commanded by the crew.
The investigation determined that the harness had been secured with a non-flexible cable tie which restricted it from flexing during normal landing gear operations, leading to a fatigue failure of the harness.
As a result of the AAIB investigation, the operator inspected the remainder of its fleet. The aircraft and landing gear manufacturers have clarified the harness routing and attachment instructions and are also working on a more flexible harness design.
(JG/CM)
The problem was ultimately due to a cable tie that restricted the flexibility of a part of the landing system, as revealed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
53 passengers were onboard the flight from Belfast City to Inverness when the fault was detected on 10 November 2017. The crew elected to divert to Belfast International but were unable to lower the landing gear, forcing them to ground the aircraft with the nose landing gear up.
An emergency evacuation was carried out and two passengers sustained minor injuries.
The AAIB investigation found that a damaged electrical harness affected the readings of a sensor so that the nose landing gear doors started to close while the landing gear was still moving. This then caused the nose landing gear to become jammed in the 'up' position, so that it would not extend when commanded by the crew.
The investigation determined that the harness had been secured with a non-flexible cable tie which restricted it from flexing during normal landing gear operations, leading to a fatigue failure of the harness.
As a result of the AAIB investigation, the operator inspected the remainder of its fleet. The aircraft and landing gear manufacturers have clarified the harness routing and attachment instructions and are also working on a more flexible harness design.
(JG/CM)
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