LA emergency landing is at least seventh involving sideways gear

AP ^ | 9/22/5 | LESLIE MILLER

[SmithL]

WASHINGTON -- There have been at least seven cases in which the front wheels on Airbus A320s became stuck in a sideways position, forcing pilots to make emergency landings.

No one was hurt in any of the landings, the latest of which occurred Wednesday night in front of a national television audience when a JetBlue plane touched down in Los Angeles amid smoke and sparks as the front tires disintegrated.

The incidents, unnerving to be sure, are nonetheless considered anomalies and have not prompted federal authorities to take action beyond ordering airlines to follow Airbus instructions for replacing rubber seals on the gear.

With about 2,500 Airbus A320s in operation worldwide, the number of incidents involving jammed nose gear is not significant, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Greg Martin said Thursday.

[Who dat?]

Is there a list of which airlines use Boeing and which use Airbus?

I don’t know. There’s a site called “airsafe.com.” You can look under “events” and, specifically, “fatal events.” Compare Boeing and Airbus. Tell me what you think.

[Leo Carpathian]

It is a consortium made up of British, French, German, and Spanish companies.

It wuz one of'em multilingual signs that the gear got stuck to. It's not their fault, it's their fault. So much for con-snortium!

[Lokibob]

You kid, right?

2,500 A-320's times sayyyyy 5 landings a day times sayyyy 10 years equals 46 million landings. and only 7 failures. And how many deaths (or even injuries).

Food service aboard any airline is more dangerous than landing gear.

[LasVegasMac]

Methinks that is a pretty serious design flaw.

Methinks you have not been around avaition much. Fairly common application.

Some even rotate 360 degrees when opening / closing.

LVM

[Cicero]

Yes, Airbus is a European consortium, but there's not much doubt about which country is the 800 pound gorilla that makes the decisions.

[sam_paine]

Fatal Event Rates for
Selected Airliner Models

The following airliner models are ranked by the rate of fatal events per million flights. Number of flights are current as of 31 December 2003 for the following models: Airbus, Boeing, BAe 146/RJ100, Concorde, Fokker, and Lockheed. ATR models are current as of 31 August 2003. Bombardier CRJ is current as of 31 August 2004. All other models are estimates.

Fatal Event Rate Per Million Flights

Model	Rate	Flights	FLE*	Events
Airbus A300	0.65	9.26M	5.99	9
Airbus A310	1.29	3.57M	4.62	5
Airbus A320/319/321	0.15	17.64M	2.61	5
ATR 42 and ATR 72	0.26	13.2M	3.40	4
Boeing 727**	0.50	74.50M	37.2	48
Boeing 737-100/200**	0.56	54.14M	30.54	43
Boeing 737-300/400/500	0.24	45.95M	10.99	14
Boeing 737 (all models)	0.41	100.09M	40.66	54
Boeing 747	0.88	15.67M	13.73	28
Boeing 757**	0.40	13.51M	5.4	7
Boeing 767	0.51	10.81M	5.50	6
Boeing 777	0.00	1.0M	0.00	0
Boeing DC9**	0.55	62.5M	34.41	42
Boeing DC10**	0.66	8.98M	5.91	15
Boeing MD11	0.76	1.34M	1.02	3
Boeing MD80/MD90	0.34	21.58M	7.37	12
Bombardier CRJ	0.12	8.11M	1.00	1
BAe146/RJ100	0.61	7.37M	4.49	6
BAe Jetstream	UNK	UNK	6.07	7
Concorde***	11.36	0.09M	1.00	1
Dornier 228	UNK	UNK	6.88	7
Dornier 328	UNK	UNK	0.11	1
Embraer Bandeirante	3.07	7.5M	23.00	28
Embraer Brasilia	0.71	7.4M	5.27	6
Fokker F28	1.69	9.14M	15.45	21
Fokker F70/F100	0.27	6.94M	1.87	4
Lockheed L1011	0.48	5.33M	2.54	5
Saab 340	0.19	11.2M	2.10	3

** No longer in production
*** No longer in commercial service

Fatal events of selected aircraft models
Fatal events and fatal event rates of selected airlines
Accidents by Model
*Details on analysis method

[calex59]

Actually I think the Mosquito was the most laminated aircraft in history or maybe the spruce goose, both being made of plywood.

[safisoft]

Yes, Airbus is a European consortium, but there's not much doubt about which country is the 800 pound gorilla that makes the decisions.

Your opinion does not make it fact. Please support your contention with facts.

[GW and Twins Pawpaw]

Does anyone know the procedure to extend the gear with no hydraulic pressure for a 737?

[safisoft]

Methinks you have not been around avaition much. Fairly common application.

You are correct. The ignorance on this thread is breathtaking. If people want to stack this event up proratia against similar events in Boeing aircraft they will be sadly disappointed. The fact is, the A320 performed very well yesterday, as the many Boeings have done in EXACTLY the same situation. Previously, the public has not been made aware of these incidents. They are NOT uncommon.

[Old Professer]

Any device that can over-center needs to be equipped with a mechanical stop, this sounds like a design flaw.

The FAA has the last call here.

[safisoft]

Does anyone know the procedure to extend the gear with no hydraulic pressure for a 737?

Release the mechanical uplocks. Gravity fall. Same way as Airbus.

[BunnySlippers]

Bump

[GW and Twins Pawpaw]

I was wondering if it was free fall or hand pumped. Thanks!!

[safisoft]

Any device that can over-center needs to be equipped with a mechanical stop, this sounds like a design flaw.

If it is, then you have a big job making sure all the other Boeings, Douglas, and Airbus are modified too. The A320 uses essentially the same type systems in this regard as all transport category aircraft.

[Timmy]

I figured my beloved MD-80 would be pretty safe. It is consistently the smoothest taking off passenger jet I've flown (and before some smartypants cracks "you must not have flown much," I am AA Platinum).

[frankjr]

Any company headquartered out of France is guaranteed to have incompentent leadership developing inferior products. I don't care where the specific parts are manufactured or final assembly is completed. Fly Airbus at your own risk. Sacre bleu!!!!!


Airbus Headquarters
1, Rond Point Maurice Bellonte
31707 Blagnac Cedex
France
Phone: +33 5 61 93 33 33

[csmusaret]

Can someone please tell me why they didn't burn feul by flying to New York as scheduled?

[safisoft]

Fly Airbus at your own risk.

So, you will act as ignorantly as the French do? What utter nonsense. Ask a pilot who has flown Boeings, Douglas, and Airbus what they think. Come to think of it, ask me. I have 15,000 hours. 8,000 in Boeings. 2,000 in Airbus, and 1,500 in Douglas. The A320 is the finest aircraft I have ever flown. That is not to slight the Boeing or Douglas - but I am not making ignorant statements either.

[Old Professer]

Are you sure you are familiar with what over-center means?

These wheel assemblies need to rotate to a 90 degree position to park and back 90 degrees and lock to roll when landing; if the assembly goes 91 degrees either way it will not properly reverse, that's an over-center condition.