gordonroxburgh, you said:
'This was reported in the BEA interim report in Jan 2001. The feeling is that the missing part would cause the gear to skew, possibly by up to 3 degrees. this was cause excessive tyre wear over time and additional tyre heating but not a burst. It would hve been spoted aily soon when they investigated the excessive tyre wear'
True, although the skew would have the effect of raising the tyre temperature a fair bit.
'The running over the bit of titanium would slash and destroy any tyre.'
Also true, for the sort of tyres that most aircraft use (cross-ply), but possibly not for the latest generation of aircraft radial tyres.
you then went on to say:
'Summary:
Discounted as not cause of accident, and not even slightly contributary. (Although I will stand corrected if thing change!!)'
The official interim report draws no such conclusions at all concerning the effect the missing spacer had on the gear and the accident. If it had, or if the final report (whenever it comes out) does suggest that the missing spacer was a contributary cause, then AF maintenance will be in the frame.
One other aspect about this missing spacer. Ignoring the weakening effects it had on the tyre, it also slewed the aircraft to the left hand side of the runway, before any engines failed. If you look at the photographs of the runway, you can clearly see the track the aircraft took before rotation.
If an engine fails on the runway, there is enough control authority in the rudder to counteract the swing towards the dead engine due to asymetric thrust. What clearly happened here was that *despite* rudder being applied, the aircraft still ended up on the left hand edge of the runway, where it took out a runway edge light, the debris of which ended up being ingested into one of the engines.
I have a feeling in my wee-wee that this missing spacer will end up playing a significant part in the cause of the crash. Maybe nobody official has commented on it because they know the likely ramifications of such a disclosure.
Just my view, you understand.
regards