20100110025769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Airbus Indu A319-131 · Newark, NJ · January 10, 2010

Date
January 10, 2010 · 09:15 local
Place
Newark, NJ
Airport
Newark Liberty International
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
UALA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N816UA
NTSB investigation
NTSBDCA10IA021
Reported as
Airbus Indu A319-131
Reported engine
IAE V2500SERIES
People aboard
53
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
3
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
9,842 total915 in this make and model234 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.

Note block 5: NTSB incident number as received from the NTSB is DCA10IA021. "I" is not a choice from the drop down menu on this electronic form. After an uneventful flight from ord to ewr, crew selected gear down on final to rwy 4R at ewr. Ecam indication was gear not down and locked, three red gear lights. Crew initiated go around and cycled landing gear with no change in gear indicaton. Crew initiated an emergency gravity gear extension. Indication was left main and nose gear down and locked, right main gear unsafe. Crew performed fly by of control tower that confirmed LH main and nose gear appeared down and RH main gear appeared up. Crew completed partial gear up landing checklist and landed on rwy 4L. The aircraft remained on center line and came to rest on the LH main, nose and RH engine approximately 4200 feet from the displaced threshold. There was no post incident fire. A successful evacuation was initiated with three minor injuries reported. The only notable damage to the aircraft appeared to be to the underside of the RH engine and the LH and RH inboard landing gear doors which remained open during the landing and contacted the runway. It appears the landing gear failed to extend because the RH main gear inboard door failed to open completely. The door failed to open completely because of an as yet unspecified internal failure of the door actuator. The landing gear system operates such that all gear doors must be completely open before the landing gear is commanded to extend. The gravity emergency extension was effective on the LH main and nose gear, but was ineffective on the RH main because it hit the partially open inboard door which prevented it from fully extending. The matter is currently under investigation by the various manufacturers involved and the NTSB. Should a definitive cause for the failure of the RH MLG door actuator be determined, this form will be amended. It is worthy of note that during the evacuation the R1 door emergency escape slide failed to deploy. A preliminary investigation of the failure indicates that all conditions for the slide to deploy were met; however, the slide never completely left the bustle which then became trapped by the door hinge preventing deployment. Inspection by the manufacturer at their facility confirmed that the slide was packed correctly and a flat fire test showed normal inflation. This matter continues to be investigated by the various manufacturers involved and the NTSB. Should a definitive cause for the failure of the slide be determined, this form will be amended.

As the FAA filed it

NOTE BLOCK 5: NTSB INCIDENT NUMBER AS RECEIVED FROM THE NTSB IS DCA10IA021. "I" IS NOT A CHOICE FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU ON THIS ELECTRONIC FORM.AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT FROM ORD TO EWR, CREW SELECTED GEAR DOWN ON FINAL TO RWY 4R AT EWR. ECAM INDICATION WAS GEAR NOT DOWN AND LOCKED, THREE RED GEAR LIGHTS. CREW INITIATED GO AROUND AND CYCLED LANDING GEAR WITH NO CHANGE IN GEAR INDICATON. CREW INITIATED AN EMERGENCY GRAVITY GEAR EXTENSION. INDICATION WAS LEFT MAIN AND NOSE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED, RIGHT MAIN GEAR UNSAFE. CREW PERFORMED FLY BY OF CONTROL TOWER THAT CONFIRMED LH MAIN AND NOSE GEAR APPEARED DOWN AND RH MAIN GEAR APPEARED UP. CREW COMPLETED PARTIAL GEAR UP LANDING CHECKLIST AND LANDED ON RWY 4L. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED ON CENTER LINE AND CAME TO REST ON THE LH MAIN, NOSE AND RH ENGINE APPROXIMATELY 4200 FEET FROM THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD. THERE WAS NO POST INCIDENT FIRE. A SUCCESSFUL EVACUATION WAS INITIATED WITH THREE MINOR INJURIES REPORTED. THE ONLY NOTABLE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RH ENGINE AND THE LH AND RH INBOARD LANDING GEAR DOORS WHICH REMAINED OPEN DURING THE LANDING AND CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. IT APPEARS THE LANDING GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND BECAUSE THE RH MAIN GEAR INBOARD DOOR FAILED TO OPEN COMPLETELY. THE DOOR FAILED TO OPEN COMPLETELY BECAUSE OF AN AS YET UNSPECIFIED INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE DOOR ACTUATOR. THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM OPERATES SUCH THAT ALL GEAR DOORS MUST BE COMPLETELY OPEN BEFORE THE LANDING GEAR IS COMMANDED TO EXTEND. THE GRAVITY EMERGENCY EXTENSION WAS EFFECTIVE ON THE LH MAIN AND NOSE GEAR, BUT WAS INEFFECTIVE ON THE RH MAIN BECAUSE IT HIT THE PARTIALLY OPEN INBOARD DOOR WHICH PREVENTED IT FROM FULLY EXTENDING. THE MATTER IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS INVOLVED AND THE NTSB. SHOULD A DEFINITIVE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE OF THE RH MLG DOOR ACTUATOR BE DETERMINED, THIS FORM WILL BE AMENDED.IT IS WORTHY OF NOTE THAT DURING THE EVACUATION THE R1 DOOR EMERGENCY ESCAPE SLIDE FAILED TO DEPLOY. A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE FAILURE INDICATES THAT ALL CONDITIONS FOR THE SLIDE TO DEPLOY WERE MET; HOWEVER, THE SLIDE NEVER COMPLETELY LEFT THE BUSTLE WHICH THEN BECAME TRAPPED BY THE DOOR HINGE PREVENTING DEPLOYMENT. INSPECTION BY THE MANUFACTURER AT THEIR FACILITY CONFIRMED THAT THE SLIDE WAS PACKED CORRECTLY AND A FLAT FIRE TEST SHOWED NORMAL INFLATION. THIS MATTER CONTINUES TO BE INVESTIGATED BY THE VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS INVOLVED AND THE NTSB. SHOULD A DEFINITIVE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE OF THE SLIDE BE DETERMINED, THIS FORM WILL BE AMENDED.

NTSB investigation

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