20070620011589I

(-23) AMR AMERICAN EAGLE FLIGHT #4539, EMB-135-LR, N731BE, ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 22L AT BOSTON, MA LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR; HOWEVER, THE PILOTS WERE UNAWARE THAT THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND SKIDDED ALONG THE RUNWAY ON ITS BELLY AND FLAPS. THE PILOT INCREASED THE POWER AND GOT THE AIRCRAFT AIRBORNE AGAIN AT 0826 EDT, 6/20/07. THE PILOT CIRCLED AROUND THE FIELD TO BURN OFF FUEL, RECYCLED THE GEAR AND LANDED RUNWAY 33L WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AT 0928 EDT. NO INJURIES. AT 0829L MASSPORT OPERATIONS RECEIVED A RADIO CALL FROM MASSPORT WILDLIFE TECHNICIAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO WAS ASSIGNED TO MASSPORT VEHICLE #129. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REPORTED THAT HE OBSERVED AN AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 22L WITH SPARKS COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED ANOTHER REPORT FROM THE TOWER STATING THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD EXECUTED A GO-AROUND. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS THE TOWER ADVISED THAT A TAXIING AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REPORTING A SIMULAR SITUATION. THIS INFORMATION ALTHOUGH UNUSUAL, WARRANTED AN INSPECTION OF RUNWAY 22L, AND THE RUNWAY WAS IMMEDIATELY CLOSED. MASSPORT REPORTED TO RUNWAY 22L WITH AIRPORT SUPERVISOR, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND UPON ARRIVAL THEY OBSERVED DEBRIS SCATTERED FROM APPROXIMATELY THE RUNWAY 15R-33L INTERSECTION, TO "C" TAXIWAY. THEY ALSO OBSERVED SEVERAL SCRATCHES OR GOUGES IN THE SAME AREA ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THESE OBSERVATIONS WERE TRANSMITTED TO THE TOWER AND TO THE CAPTAIN OF THE AIRCRAFT. MASSPORT ALSO LEARNED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AMERICAN EAGLE FLIGHT 4539 AN EMB-135-LR OPERATING FROM TORONTO TO BOSTON WITH 37 PASSENGERS AND 3 CREW ABOARD. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, MASSPORT COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM THE TOWER THAT THE CAPTAIN OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS EVALUATING THE SITUATION AND WOULD BE RETURNING TO BOSTON. MASSPORT FIRE COMMAND INITIATED AN ALERT II AND MASSPORT INITIATED SERP PROCEDURES. MASSPORT ALSO CONTACTED FACILITIES AND REQUESTED THAT ALL AVAILABLE PERSONNEL RESPOND TO THE NORTH GATE STAGING AREA WITH VEHICLES, AND STAND BY FOR INSTRUCTIONS. AT 0844L THE AIRCRAFT CONDUCTED A FLY-BY ON RUNWAY 22R TO ALLOW PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND AND IN THE TOWER TO OBSERVE THE LANDING GEAR. FIRE COMMAND, BOSTON TOWER AND MASSPORT, WERE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND APPEARED TO BE FULLY EXTENDED. THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLED THE AIRPORT AND CONDUCTED ANOTHER FLY-BY AT 0906L. ALL OBSERVERS WERE AGAIN IN AGREEMENT THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN, INCLUDING AMERICAN EAGLE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. MASSPORT COORDINATED WITH THE TOWER AND OPENED RUNWAY 33L FOR THIS ARRIVAL IF THE CAPTAIN CHOSE TO TAKE IT. THE CAPTAIN DID ELECT TO LAND RUNWAY 33L, AND MASSPORT COORDINATED THAT IF HE EXECUTED A NORMAL LANDING THAT HE ROLL OUT AND STOP ON THE 15R APPROACH. AT 0930L EAGLE FLIGHT 4539 EXECUTED A NORMAL LANDING ON RUNWAY 33L AND ROLLED OUT AND STOPPED ON THE 15R APPROACH AS PLANNED. EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND RESPONSE PERSONNEL QUICKLY EVALUATED THE CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL TENDED TO THE PASSENGERS. THE AIRCRAFT GEAR WAS CHECKED, PINNED AND DETERMINED TO BE SAFE BY AMERICAN EAGLE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. THE 37 PASSENGERS WERE TRANSPORTED VIA MASSPORT BUS TO THE AMERICAN AIRLINES ADMIRALS CLUB ALONG WITH EMS AND PUBLIC SERVICE PERSONNEL. THE ALERT II WAS TERMINATED AND ALL EQUIPMENT SECURED AT 10:11L AND RUNWAY 15R-33L WAS REOPENED AT 11:32L. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN TO THE MAINTENANCE HANGAR FOR EVALUATION. AFTER A COMPUTER (CMC) DOWNLOAD THE AIRCRAFT WAS POWERED DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS POWERED UP AGAIN AFTER JACKING; THERE WAS NO SHAKER COMMAND/NOISE, AND NO NORMAL POWER UP WARNINGS. WITH THE THREE LDG LEGS DOWN AND LOCKED, THE LANDING GEAR EICAS INDICATION WAS NORMAL LDG DOWN, GREEN/DN. LANDING GEAR WAS COMMANDED UP, THE THREE LEGS FISCALLY WENT UP, THE EICAS LDG INDICATION WENT WHITE/UP, LDG GEAR AURAL WARNING CAME ON. THE GUST LOCK HANDLE LOCKED WAS NOT ALLOWING THE THRUST LEVER ANGLE (TLA) TO BE MOVED UP. MAINTENANCE WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK GUST LOCK HANDLE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED GEAR DOWN, LDG GEAR FISCALLY STAYED UP, NOSE GEAR DOOR STAYED OPEN, EICAS SHOWED THREE GREEN/DN, AND LDG DISAGREE WARNING MESSAGE ON. THE RADIO MANAGEMENT UNIT (RMU) SHOWED LDG DOWN LOCKED. THERE WERE NO AURAL WARNINGS AND NO IN-TRANSIT LIGHT, ONLY NOSE GEAR DOORS OPENED. THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED GEAR UP, EICAS LDG DISAGREE WENT OUT. THE GEAR INDICATION WENT WHITE/UP. NOSE LDG DOORS STAYED OPEN. LDG WAS COMMANDED ONE MORE TIME WITH THE SAME CONDITIONS AND RESULTS. THE LDG FREE FALL WAS SELECTED, LDG LEGS CAME DOWN, AND EICAS LDG INDICATION CAME BACK TO NORMAL AS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE OPERATIONAL TEST. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE LANDING GEAR ELECTRONIC UNIT (LGEU) WAS DEFECTIVE. IT ALSO HAD A BURNING SMELL EMANATING FROM THE TWO CANNON PLUG RECEPTACLES AND PINS. THE LGEU WAS SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FOR EVALUATION THAT WAS WITNESSED BY THE NTSB, NYACO FAA, MIDO FAA, AMERICAN EAGLE EMBRAER MAINTENANCE FLEET MANAGER, AMERICAN EAGLE ALPA REPRESENTATIVE, AND AN EMBRAER OPERATION LIAISON AIR SAFETY MANAGER.