America West Airbus Nosewheel Failure

[320DRIVER]

FOX News had some footage of an America West Airbus A-320 lying on its folded nose gear at Phoenix (PHX) airport. Any more details?

Link to CNN including picture at:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/08/28/nose.gear.collapse/index.html

[touchedrunway?]

Looks like it was just taxiing off the north runway, 26R is it?

try www.12news.com they are pretty up to date.:) :rolleyes:

[320DRIVER]

Clearer picture from the FAA.

************************************************************ ********************
** Report created 8/29/02 Record 1 **
************************************************************ ********************

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: AWE794 Make/Model: A320 Description: A-320
Date: 08/28/2002 Time: 1843

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Minor Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: PHOENIX State: AZ Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AMERICA WEST ACFT AFTER LANDING RWY 8, WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL
CONTROL AND EXITED THE RWY INTO THE DIRT, ACFT NOSE GEAR SHEARED OFF, BOTH
ENGINES WERE DAMAGED, 150 PASSENGERS, 5 CREW EVACUATED VIA SLIDES, THREE
PASSENGERS WITH MINOR INJURIES FROM SLIDES, PHOENIX, AZ

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 5 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 150 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 3 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: WIND 090 14KTS VIS10M SKT9000FT BKN25 32/17 2978

OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase: Landing Operation: Air Carrier

Departed: HOUSTON, TX Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: PHOENIX, AZ Flt Plan: UNK Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNK
Last Clearance: UNKN

FAA FSDO: SCOTTSDALE, AZ (WP07) Entry date: 08/29/2002

[touchedrunway?]

Lost directional control? Is this common on the A320? Are there any other known incidents of this nature.

The dirt is very hard in Phoenix so its no wonder the gear sheared off. Must have come off the runway at high speed though to cause that damage!:confused:

[320DRIVER]

Certainly not common. With the risk of being flamed for speculation, WX (crosswind etc.) does not appear to be a factor.

There were some previous failure modes where the nosewheel rotated in the air but usually, rudder control is sufficient to keep the aircraft on the runway after landing, even if the nosewheel rim tends to get "chewed".

In this case, the investigation should be quite straightforward and hopefully we will have the definite answer.

[F/O Kite]

ABU DHABI About five years ago A4OEM left the runway 31 on take off, loss of directional control, the nose gear was pushed up into the flight deck, the apu detached, and the main spar broke. Numerous injuries, but no fatalities. The accident report was never released (suprise, suprise!!).

[WenWe]

Didn't that one lift off, than come back down hard on the nose gear?

[ironbutt57]

the accident was never even acknowledged,...the only thing "released" as we heard was the crew....corrections accepted

[BSCU]

Oh No! Possible BSCU Failure?

[Bhing]

Reference the Abu Dhabi accident, the problem was that the pilot elected to take-off in excessive crosswind. Aparently the tower wind was OK but a report from a Company 767 immediately prior to the take off indicated an excess crosswind component. The aircraft did not get airborne but departed the runway at relatively high speed and bumped its way across about 1000meters of rough ground before being stopped by an embankment. When I landed later that day the aircraft looked very dismal and workers were painting over the Company logu's with white paint. The aircraft was written off. For memory, the only injury was the Captain.

Reference the America West problem, there has been no info as to what the status of the aircraft was before landing. BSCU is one option but that computer can normally be reset. There are other possibilities which can disable nose wheel steering, eg Gravity gear extension & Green hydraulic failure. It may not be failure of the NWS, instead it maybe that normal braking was inoperative and they were landing with Alternate brake system with or without antiskid. The A320 brakes are very powerful and in this situation the brakes are very touchy and many pilots have difficulty maintaining steady directional control.

The 320 rudder is very powerful and as 320DRIVER said can normally control most failures. The only thing that can overpower it is the brakes as the speed reduces.

All will come out quickly I should think, lets wait and see.