What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On January 4, 2022 @ 1410 easton standard time, aircraft N11165 an EMB-145-XR, operating a revenue service by privacy data omitted, from Albany, new york (alb) to Washington dulles field ( iad) experienced a nose landing gear collapse after an approximately 50FT push back from the alb gate. Proceeding the event, the aircraft was in typical configuration for a straight pushback and prior to engine start with direct communication with the pushback tug operator. Push back operations had been immediately halted at the time of the event, the cockpit crew shutdown all systems and all persons on board (50 pax, 2 flight crew, 1 cabin crew ) safely evacuated with the assistance of the airport emergency responders. The passengers had been then escorted back to the terminal. The carrier activated its emergency response plan. No injuries were sustained during or after the event.
Immediately following the event, carrier maintenance staff had been deployed to secure and recover the aircraft. The flight crew contact operations for a debrief of the event. The contracted pushback entity directed ground staff for drug and alcohol testing and secured the related ground equipment for an investigatory review. The tug and tow bar were submitted for inspection to lancing flight support, inc. and both passed all inspections with no damage found. On the tow bar both shear pins were intact and showed no signs of damage.
The initial mechanical assessment conducted by carrier maintenance staff revealed the NLG auxiliary drag strut had sheared.
As of 1530 EST, FAA interviewed the base manager, he stated senior management had been in contact with Embraer engineers to determine a disposition and repair options for the damage sustained and the carrier will also be conducting their own investigation of this event.
There was some small local media coverage by privacy data omitted. The details are limited in nature, the nose gear collapsed on privacy data omitted aircraft on pushback at Albany airport and no injuries were reported.
Carrier has conducted and completed their investigation.
Here were the findings of the analysis report:
Analysis of the damage event identified that the aircraft came to a sudden stop, causing
An excessive load force applied to nose gear. That force transferred to the drag strut
Which then transferred that load to the auxiliary drag strut which is designed to lock the
Drag strut in place and prevent actuation of the gear. This load applied to the auxiliary
Drag strut exceeded its strength, causing it to break, thus allowing the retraction of the
Nose gear, causing additional damage to the gear door, gear components, radar dome,
Forward frame and surrounding area.
Post event, the auxiliary drag strut was sent to a metallurgist for analysis. Analysis
Confirmed a ductile fracture caused by excessive compression force. ?the results of the
Metallurgical examination indicate that the as-received auxiliary drag strut failed in
Bending due to a single compressional overloading event of the strut. The strut
Component that failed did not exhibit any existing cracks or material issues that would
Have caused that failure.? The aircraft manufacture, Embraer concluded per the data
Shared with them, ??the longitudinal load exceeded the design limit of the NLG strut
(Considering the delta peak of +0.22G). Due to the low rate of recording data, it is
Believed to be a higher load than that. This is the probable cause of the NLG collapse.?
Based on the metallurgical analysis (metallurgical report is attached at the end of this
Report), the aux drag strut performing as designed and did not show signs of
Compromised strength induced by any possible event prior to this event.
The use of the large push tractor has come to question as this style push tractor was
Additionally: the effectivity, of this equipment is not listed for the ERJ-145 aircraft.
However, the manufacturer of the GT-35 states that it is compatible with the
ERJ145.
As the FAA filed it
ON JANUARY 4, 2022 @ 1410 EASTON STANDARD TIME, AIRCRAFT N11165 AN EMB-145-XR, OPERATING A REVENUE SERVICE BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FROM ALBANY, NEW YORK (ALB) TO WASHINGTON DULLES FIELD ( IAD) EXPERIENCED A NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE AFTER AN APPROXIMATELY 50FT PUSH BACK FROM THE ALB GATE. PROCEEDING THE EVENT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN TYPICAL CONFIGURATION FOR A STRAIGHT PUSHBACK AND PRIOR TO ENGINE START WITH DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUSHBACK TUG OPERATOR. PUSH BACK OPERATIONS HAD BEEN IMMEDIATELY HALTED AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT, THE COCKPIT CREW SHUTDOWN ALL SYSTEMS AND ALL PERSONS ON BOARD (50 PAX, 2 FLIGHT CREW, 1 CABIN CREW ) SAFELY EVACUATED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE AIRPORT EMERGENCY RESPONDERS. THE PASSENGERS HAD BEEN THEN ESCORTED BACK TO THE TERMINAL. THE CARRIER ACTIVATED ITS EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED DURING OR AFTER THE EVENT.
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE EVENT, CARRIER MAINTENANCE STAFF HAD BEEN DEPLOYED TO SECURE AND RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT CREW CONTACT OPERATIONS FOR A DEBRIEF OF THE EVENT. THE CONTRACTED PUSHBACK ENTITY DIRECTED GROUND STAFF FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING AND SECURED THE RELATED GROUND EQUIPMENT FOR AN INVESTIGATORY REVIEW. THE TUG AND TOW BAR WERE SUBMITTED FOR INSPECTION TO LANCING FLIGHT SUPPORT, INC. AND BOTH PASSED ALL INSPECTIONS WITH NO DAMAGE FOUND. ON THE TOW BAR BOTH SHEAR PINS WERE INTACT AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE.
THE INITIAL MECHANICAL ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED BY CARRIER MAINTENANCE STAFF REVEALED THE NLG AUXILIARY DRAG STRUT HAD SHEARED.
AS OF 1530 EST, FAA INTERVIEWED THE BASE MANAGER, HE STATED SENIOR MANAGEMENT HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH EMBRAER ENGINEERS TO DETERMINE A DISPOSITION AND REPAIR OPTIONS FOR THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED AND THE CARRIER WILL ALSO BE CONDUCTING THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION OF THIS EVENT.
THERE WAS SOME SMALL LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE DETAILS ARE LIMITED IN NATURE, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AIRCRAFT ON PUSHBACK AT ALBANY AIRPORT AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
CARRIER HAS CONDUCTED AND COMPLETED THEIR INVESTIGATION.
HERE WERE THE FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS REPORT:
ANALYSIS OF THE DAMAGE EVENT IDENTIFIED THAT THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP, CAUSING
AN EXCESSIVE LOAD FORCE APPLIED TO NOSE GEAR. THAT FORCE TRANSFERRED TO THE DRAG STRUT
WHICH THEN TRANSFERRED THAT LOAD TO THE AUXILIARY DRAG STRUT WHICH IS DESIGNED TO LOCK THE
DRAG STRUT IN PLACE AND PREVENT ACTUATION OF THE GEAR. THIS LOAD APPLIED TO THE AUXILIARY
DRAG STRUT EXCEEDED ITS STRENGTH, CAUSING IT TO BREAK, THUS ALLOWING THE RETRACTION OF THE
NOSE GEAR, CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE GEAR DOOR, GEAR COMPONENTS, RADAR DOME,
FORWARD FRAME AND SURROUNDING AREA.
POST EVENT, THE AUXILIARY DRAG STRUT WAS SENT TO A METALLURGIST FOR ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS
CONFIRMED A DUCTILE FRACTURE CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE COMPRESSION FORCE. ?THE RESULTS OF THE
METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION INDICATE THAT THE AS-RECEIVED AUXILIARY DRAG STRUT FAILED IN
BENDING DUE TO A SINGLE COMPRESSIONAL OVERLOADING EVENT OF THE STRUT. THE STRUT
COMPONENT THAT FAILED DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY EXISTING CRACKS OR MATERIAL ISSUES THAT WOULD
HAVE CAUSED THAT FAILURE.? THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE, EMBRAER CONCLUDED PER THE DATA
SHARED WITH THEM, ??THE LONGITUDINAL LOAD EXCEEDED THE DESIGN LIMIT OF THE NLG STRUT
(CONSIDERING THE DELTA PEAK OF +0.22G). DUE TO THE LOW RATE OF RECORDING DATA, IT IS
BELIEVED TO BE A HIGHER LOAD THAN THAT. THIS IS THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE NLG COLLAPSE.?
BASED ON THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS (METALLURGICAL REPORT IS ATTACHED AT THE END OF THIS
REPORT), THE AUX DRAG STRUT PERFORMING AS DESIGNED AND DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF
COMPROMISED STRENGTH INDUCED BY ANY POSSIBLE EVENT PRIOR TO THIS EVENT.
THE USE OF THE LARGE PUSH TRACTOR HAS COME TO QUESTION AS THIS STYLE PUSH TRACTOR WAS
ADDITIONALLY: THE EFFECTIVITY, OF THIS EQUIPMENT IS NOT LISTED FOR THE ERJ-145 AIRCRAFT.
HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE GT-35 STATES THAT IT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE
ERJ145.