Q300 Missing nosewheel?

[DeathStar-Alpha]

Just found on stuff... Bound to be someone filming that one????

BREAKING NEWS: A Dash 8 plane has landed safely at Blenheim Airport despite missing a nose wheel.
The airport was put on full alert after the Bombardier Dash 8 was diverted from Wellington Airport.
Fire crews from Woodbourne, Blenheim, Renwick and Nelson were called to the scene.
The Air Nelson plane was circled the airport for around 30 minutes before landing.
Emergency services at Wellington Airport had been put on alert, but had been stood down.
The Dash 8 is a medium range, twin-engined passenger aircraft, used on regional routes in New Zealand.
Airways New Zealand Corporate Communications Manager Nikki Hawkey said the plane had under carriage problems.
"I think a light turned on in the cockpit and alerted the pilot to the problem," she said.
Hawkey believed there were passengers on board the plane.

- The Marlborough Express

[Kiwiconehead]

Not again... surely...

Apparently yes......... and don't call me Shirley

Emergency landing at Blenheim - national | Stuff.co.nz (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4636721/Emergency-landing-at-Blenheim)

[Fris B. Fairing]

Hawkey believed there were passengers on board the plane.


Shouldn't she know precisely how many POB?

[DeathStar-Alpha]

Someone did film it... Linky (http://www.stuff.co.nz/lightbox/national/4637558/?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=560&width=640)




LATEST: Blenheim Airport is expected to be closed overnight after a passenger plane landed without its nose wheel down.
Airport manager Dean Heiford said it would probably be closed overnight because the plane was still on the runway, which required checking after the emergency.

The Bombardier Dash 8 plane carrying 44 people landed safely at Blenheim Airport about 2.45pm, despite its nose wheel failing during landing after it did not lock into place.
The airport was put on full alert after the plane was diverted from Wellington Airport.
Heiford said one plane due to fly into Blenheim during the emergency was diverted to Wellington this afternoon, while all other flights were cancelled.
Passengers at Blenheim waiting to fly out where being directed to Nelson or advised to go home and rebook for tomorrow.
"I'm not holding out much hope for it being opened today."
DRAMA UNFOLDING
Fire crews from Woodbourne, Blenheim, Renwick and Nelson were called to the scene during this afternoon's emergency, but the plane touched down with a good third of the runway to spare.
The plane, operated by Air New Zealand subsidiary Air Nelson, circled the airport at least four times before landing. Passengers, some carrying children, were able to walk from the plane. There were no reported injuries.
Colin Hayman, who was on board the plane, said it was a "huge relief" when it landed safely.
"Coming into land was a bit nervewracking and we are all relieved that everyone is okay," he said.
Hayman, who was flying home from a business trip, said the plane's landing was relatively smooth despite the missing nose wheel.
"Everyone was very calm and the crew were really good, the stewardess communicated everything the pilot said so we knew what was going on."
He said there were children on board the plane but they were oblivious to the landing problems.
Hayman said the disembarked passengers had all been waiting together at Blenheim Airport for over an hour awaiting a bus to transport them to Nelson Airport so they could fly back to Wellington.
Air New Zealand confirmed the plane had been on a flight from Hamilton to Wellington when it suffered a nose-wheel failure.
Photographs appear to show the plane wihtout a wheel but a Air NZ spokeswoman said the wheel was still attached to the plane but it had not correctly locked into place for landing.
There were 41 passengers and three crew on board. They were being looked after in the terminal and alternative transport was being arranged.
Blenheim winegrower Trevor Kenny was driving from Blenheim to Renwick when he saw the police, ambulance and fire crews pass him.
He pulled over and parked on the grass verge outside the airport and saw the plane circling around with no nose wheel visible.

"They will be frightened as hell,'' he said.
Nearly 100 cars were parked outside the airport, as people stood by the fence looking up with binoculars and cameras.
A couple of onlookers clapped when the plane landed.
The incident mirrors one on September 30 last year, when another Air Nelson plane crash-landed at the airport. That Dash 8's nose wheel collapsed during landing, but there were no injuries.
The Dash 8 is a medium range, twin-engined passenger aircraft, used on regional routes in New Zealand.
On June 19, a Beech 1900 aircraft landed under a full emergency at Blenheim Airport after it was diverted from Wellington because the pilot thought the front tyre might be flat.
It landed safely with 12 passengers and two crew on board. It was three years and one day since the same aircraft, carrying 17 people, belly landed at the airport after its landing gear became stuck.
- The Marlborough Express

[DeathStar-Alpha]

Link to the site with more pics... (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4636721/Emergency-landing-at-Blenheim)

[minimum_wage]

TV3 once again displaying a poor standard of reporting journalism. Apparently the second 'crash landing' by such an aircraft recently in Woodbourne.
Really, crash landing?
At least TV1 reports an emergency touchdown, however linking that to the Palmy Ansett Dash 8 crash in their story is stretching it a bit.

[remoak]

So what are they checking the runway for? Hurt feelings?

Have to say though that Air Nelson are getting a little careless, that's the second more-or-less identical incident in a few months. Woodbourne must be getting pretty cheesed that they always go there to make a mess...

[6080ft]

I am wondering why they didn't take it over to Nelson as thats the maintenance base for the dash.

[bankrunner]

So what are they checking the runway for? Hurt feelings?

Damage and FOD, one would think?

[remoak]

Woodbourne is a military/civil aerodrome, that runway is pretty tough. Last time this happened, the net result was a pair of shallow grooves from the nosegear doors. So checking for damage is an oxymoron, and FOD... well... they do that all the time anyway.

But yeah OK, you are right and I shouldn't try to crack funnies... :=:}

[zkcub]

Why does this make them careless?

[remoak]

Two nearly identical accidents in 5 months, that's a bit careless in my book. You would expect that, after the first occurrence, steps would be taken to prevent another. Maybe they were, and maybe Air Nelson is just unlucky...

[tea & bikkies]

Did an altn ext in a dash, you really got to pull verrrrrry hard on the release handle, probably more than once to release the nose gear :sad:

A lot, lot harder than experienced in sim.

In the end, we gave it one more try, no mercy.... bingo, three greens

The above may be relevant, however credit where credit is due. Well done a great outcome.

[remoak]

Yes it was a nicely executed landing, good job by the crew.

[Bongo Bus Driver]

Here's a question that I wouldn't mind some informed opinion on. What steps would the CAA and Air Nelson be taking at the moment to determine if the fleet is still safe to fly? Assuming the crew followed the QRH and the system was maintained to the required standard then two incidents in a short space of time smells of some kind of design problem. We saw the A380s grounded recently so would there be any chance of the Q300s going the same way?

[ZK-NSN]

So what are they checking the runway for? Hurt feelings?

Well done remoak. Good to see you're providing a stupid answer to you're own stupid question.

[blah blah blah]

Did an altn ext in a dash, you really got to pull verrrrrry hard on the release handle, probably more than once to release the nose gear

A lot, lot harder than experienced in sim.

In the end, we gave it one more try, no mercy.... bingo, three greens

The above may be relevant, however credit where credit is due. Well done a great outcome.

That is a very interesting comment.

[Isobars]

Anybody actually know why the alt ext procedure did not release the nose gear ??

[LPS500]

I have heard, and I don't know if its right (apologies), but I'll post it any way, that Air Nsn SOP is not to recycle the gear handle when things are amiss

[harrowing]

They are not the only ones to have that in SOPs. ie do not cycle the gear if abnormal ops.
I also had a gear malfunction in a 300 and it took the FO (a company requirement to pull the alt gear release cable since it is on that side) three attempts to get the nose gear down.