19970704029029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Doug DC-8-61 · Miami, FL · July 4, 1997

Date
July 4, 1997 · 21:55 local
Place
Miami, FL
Airport
Miami International
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
FXLA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N27UA
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA97IA206
Reported as
Doug DC861
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney JT3D3B
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
21,000 total2,000 in this make and model180 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on July 4, 1997, at about 2155 eastern daylight time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61, N27UA, registered to argo air associates, operated by fine airlines, as a title 14 CFR part 121 nonscheduled international cargo flight, found a cracked right main landing cylinder assembly after landing at Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot-in-command, first officer, and flight engineer reported no injuries. The flight originated from santo domingo, about 3 hours 10 minutes before the accident. Review of maintenance records revealed the airplane was 25,699 pounds below landing weight. The right main landing gear shock strut assembly had accumulated a total of 20,874 hours. The right main landing gear cylinder was transported to the Boeing Douglas products division for further examination. According to Boeing Douglas product division, the failure of the main landing gear cylinder occurred by stress corrosion cracking which initiated at the threaded portion of the lower end along the first and second full, upper, internal thread roots, about 0.85 inches from the bottom of the cylinder. The cadmium plating in the corrosion areas was sacrificially depleted. This depletion of cadmium plating made the base metal susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. No material or processing discrepancies were found. For additional information see materials and processing engineering laboratory report no. LR-15773. Mr. Richard mccallman, chief inspector, fine airlines, inc., authorized the right main landing gear cylinder to be disposed of locally by Boeing Douglas products division, on December 10, 1997.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON JULY 4, 1997, AT ABOUT 2155 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC-8-61, N27UA, REGISTERED TO ARGO AIR ASSOCIATES, OPERATED BY FINE AIRLINES, AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 121 NONSCHEDULED INTERNATIONAL CARGO FLIGHT, FOUND A CRACKED RIGHT MAIN LANDING CYLINDER ASSEMBLY AFTER LANDING AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MIAMI, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT-RATED PILOT-IN-COMMAND, FIRST OFFICER, AND FLIGHT ENGINEER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM SANTO DOMINGO, ABOUT 3 HOURS 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THE AIRPLANE WAS 25,699 POUNDS BELOW LANDING WEIGHT. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SHOCK STRUT ASSEMBLY HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 20,874 HOURS. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR CYLINDER WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE BOEING DOUGLAS PRODUCTS DIVISION FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. ACCORDING TO BOEING DOUGLAS PRODUCT DIVISION, THE FAILURE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CYLINDER OCCURRED BY STRESS CORROSION CRACKING WHICH INITIATED AT THE THREADED PORTION OF THE LOWER END ALONG THE FIRST AND SECOND FULL, UPPER, INTERNAL THREAD ROOTS, ABOUT 0.85 INCHES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CYLINDER. THE CADMIUM PLATING IN THE CORROSION AREAS WAS SACRIFICIALLY DEPLETED. THIS DEPLETION OF CADMIUM PLATING MADE THE BASE METAL SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING. NO MATERIAL OR PROCESSING DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE MATERIALS AND PROCESSING ENGINEERING LABORATORY REPORT NO. LR-15773. MR. RICHARD MCCALLMAN, CHIEF INSPECTOR, FINE AIRLINES, INC., AUTHORIZED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR CYLINDER TO BE DISPOSED OF LOCALLY BY BOEING DOUGLAS PRODUCTS DIVISION, ON DECEMBER 10, 1997.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N27UA · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.