Air India B777 gear collapse Mumbai

[Saleh]

I was on ground this afternoon approx 3pm in Mumbai and saw an Air India
B777 with nose gear collapsed with both engines touched down on Stand 46. Anyone knows the reason or story behind it? Are these leased United aircrafts?

[fantom]

Let me guess: mechanix fiddling with a perfectly serviceable aircraft?

only kidding...

[Airbubba]

Let me guess: mechanix fiddling with a perfectly serviceable aircraft?

Time to round up the usual suspects...

Indian Airlines [sic] plane nose gear collapses

16 May, 2008, 2332 hrs IST, PTI

MUMBAI: Four engineers escaped unhurt when the nose wheel gear of an Air India Boeing 777 bound for Dubai collapsed on Friday shortly before passengers could board in the second incident at the airport involving the airline in as many days.

Yesterday, the door of an Airbus A-320 readying for take-off was damaged after an aerobridge slammed against the aircraft when the push back vehicle to tow the airplane suddenly moved. The Chennai-bound flight was delayed for more than four hours.

No one was injured in today's freak mishap as there were no passengers or cabin crew on board the Boeing 777-200 (Extended Range) aircraft leased by Air India, an airline spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The incident occured during pre-inspection checks by four engineers but they escaped unhurt. One of the engineers was in the cockpit while three others were on the ground.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Indian_Airlines_plane_nose_gear_collapses/articleshow/3047364.cms

[VortexGen300]

OUCH - :uhoh:

They were never told to leave the gear lever in the down position until after rotation with the pilots in the cockpit.????:\

A very expensive fiddle?:E

Stirred?:{
VG300

[Jetjock330]

Any pictures?

[EatMyShorts!]

One small picture here: http://timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsId=8438

[bermudatriangle]

possible previous very heavy landings ???? otherwise tug pushback with parking brake engaged...can't think of any other reason.

[Nashers]

forgive me if im wrong as im still currently getting my cpl, but i thought the weight on wheels system would have stopped the undercarige being brought up anyway? :confused:

[spannersatcx]

Not if you override it. :eek:

[White Knight]

Guess it wasn't during pushback BT 'cos the catering trucks still by R2. And the cargo doors are open.....

Engineers fiddling I'd imagine - I mean four of them all together up by the nosewheel:confused:

[Brian Abraham]

four of them all together up by the nosewheel
3 on the ground, 1 in the cockpit. Maths 101 errrrrr Don't touch that.

[annanyquistiyyi]

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[dixi188]

I don't know the 777, But on lots of A/C some maintenance procedures require Ldg Gear Lever to be placed in the UP position with Pins installed.

Saw a Northwest 747 at Gatwick many years ago with nose gear collapsed due to the Nose gear Pin shearing. I think the pin was not genuine Boeing part.

So maybe Mechs not fiddling!

[earlyNFF]

Saw a Northwest 747 at Gatwick many years ago with nose gear collapsed due to the Nose gear Pin shearing. I think the pin was not genuine Boeing part.

LH had a similar mishap on a 744 some time ago, if I am not mistaken...:uhoh:

[BigJoeRice]

VT-AIK ex N205UA owned and leased out of Emirates. The NW nose gear incident occurred because a push back pin (without spring loaded pip pin) rather than a nose gear down lock pin (with a spring loaded pip pin) was installed while the gear handle was cycled for an uplock leak check;it vibrated out on the fifth cycle.

[Airbubba]

The NW nose gear incident occurred because a push back pin (without spring loaded pip pin) rather than a nose gear down lock pin (with a spring loaded pip pin) was installed while the gear handle was cycled for an uplock leak check;it vibrated out on the fifth cycle.

Northwest had another 742 nose gear collapse in SIN in 1999. An Airbus gear pin with a handle welded on it was used during the leak check, the handle caught on the gear door with the inevitable result.

[Joetom]

This is not the first time and won't be the last gear is retracted on the ground.

Some simple rules can reduce the above.

1. Fit correct downlock pins.

2. Make sure downlock pin locking device is servicable and used.

You could also action Duplicate inspections and record such before gear selections are made.

All the above will have extra cost as the norm, so the bean counters will not be happy.

[CHINOOKER]

This accident has all the hallmarks of a test of the Alternate lowering system being carried out....a test we as engineers do quite often. Looks like they either forgot to install pin,(as happened to the BA 747 some years back),or it was a "dodgy pin" fitted.....either way it it's an expensive mistake!!

[tom744]

can remember 3 cases when that happened (B747-400):
CAL at TPE; brand new freighter,
CV somewhere in China
and LH in FRA.
Heared from a mechanic that some hydraulic test procedure requires the lever to be placed up but the pins have to be installed before.
Well, weight of the plane is sufficient to hold the main gear in place but the nose gear will retract

http://www.airliners.net/photo/China-Airlines-Cargo/Boeing-747-409F-SCD/0222285/M/ (http://www.airliners.net/photo/China-Airlines-Cargo/Boeing-747-409F-SCD/0222285/M/)

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Cargolux/Boeing-747-4R7F-SCD/0994364/M/ (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Cargolux/Boeing-747-4R7F-SCD/0994364/M/)

maybe same (wrong) procedure?

[point8six]

Thought the CAL 744F was through incorrect loading, which caused the nose to rise and the damage was done when the load shifted, causing the nose-wheel to collapse.

[Big Pistons Forever]

What about the engines and engine mounts ? Do they have to be replaced as well ?:uhoh:

[CargoFlyer11]

Years ago, Flying Tiger had a 747 incident in Anchorage, where the mechanic was at the nose on the headset to the crew, and with all engines running, he says:'I want to check for a hyd. leak on the nose gear up line; I've got the gear pins installed, go ahead and override the safety latch and raise the gear handle.' The crew proceeded as requested, followed shortly by the nose gear pin shooting off to the side like a rifle bullet, and the nose gear collapsing - the mechanic was just able to get out of the way in time....the crew shut down, and the F/O symbolically used a paper towel to wipe his fingerprints off the gear handle!

[BigJoeRice]

Presumably the engines weren't running at the gate, in which case there should be no rotational engine damage to deal with. Probably inspect the Pylon, engine mounts and perhaps the truck position actuators in case they bottomed. If OK, figure out how to fix the engine inlet lip skins if she's been sitting on them (good luck), and the nose gear doors if they were open. From the You Tube video, it doesn't appear she's sitting on the inlet lips skins which will be welcome news indeed for AI - they're like rocking horse sh1t to find.

[bear11]

Shouldn't be a problem Joe, all AI have to do is take inlet lip skins off one of the Triple Sevens they have parked up due to lack of pilots.

[lexxie747]

you people have it all wrong!
f you look very carefully, you can see the cateringtrck beside the aicraft,therefore,loading of a heavy cury must be the reason.
the only way to rectify the problem is reversing out and step on the brakes.

[MrMark757]

Nope. Gear pin should have been installed if there was any gear mtx.

[Robert Campbell]

Why not just park this one and use one of the others that they don't have pilots for? Might save some time.:O

[vortsa]

You are all wrong. The gear never collapsed the tarmac pavement collapsed and the aircraft sunk into the services tunnel. Aircraft had been reported to have sustained a lightening strike, so engineers were rectifying the problem by adding additional weight to the nose gear, obviously added too much.

[Rollingthunder]

Wha.........?

Can anyone explain the above post? Ramp collapse? Extra weight added to nosegear due lightning strike?

[Oxidant]

Think it's called humour..............................:hmm:

[G-CPTN]

Why not just park this one and use one of the others that they don't have pilots for?Sounds like that's exactly what they did, as the flight took off only one hour delayed . . .

[Growley Bear]

I do believe that gravity has a significant part of this event. A full scale investigation should begin as to why, the constant attraction to the center of the earth, could have caused such damage. NJG :ugh: