- Date
- September 21, 1988, 21:42 local (Sep 22, 1988, 02:42 UTC)
- Place
- Dfw Airport, TX
- Injuries
- 4 minor, 84 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N710AABoeing 727-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880921053449I
- Case key
- 22579
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fatigue failure of the left main landing gear door actuator pivot trunnion shaft which subsequently became lodged in the actuator clevis preventing the door unlock mechanism from actuating during gear extension.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Acft received minor damage when the plt executed an emergency gear up landing following the failure of the MLG to extend using normal, abnormal, and manual procedures. Acft was landed with the NLG extended and the mains retracted. Investigation revealed that the left MLG door actuator pivot trunnion upper shaft had failed as a result of a fatigue fracture. Following the fracture, the separated shaft had become jammed between the trunnion and the actuator clevis which prevented the manual door unlock mechanism from releasing. A review of the service difficulty history of the failed part indicated that several similar failures had occurred on manufactured parts and that a redesigned part was available for replacement. The operator had complied with all of the required insp's.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N710AA
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22467
- Airframe hours
- 20,873
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-15, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- American Airlines Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 17, 1988 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- OKC · Oklahoma City, OK
- Destination
- DFW
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DFW · Dfw Reg., runway 18L, 11,388 × 200 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DFW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.