Arann AT72 at Dublin on Mar 30th 2013, nose gear torque link failure
Last Update: December 22, 2014 / 15:48:24 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 30, 2013
Classification
Incident
Airline
Aer Arann
Flight number
RE-3255
Departure
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Destination
Dublin, Ireland
Aircraft Registration
EI-REI
Aircraft Type
ATR ATR-72-200
ICAO Type Designator
AT72
The French BEA reported the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is investigating the serious incident.
The AAIU stated that the damage occurred on Dublin's runway 10 and was confined to the torque link assembly. An investigation into the serious incident is underway.
A similiar occurrence happened in France early March, see Accident: Airlinair AT72 at Toulouse on Mar 5th 2013, nose gear torque link disconnected.
On Dec 22nd 2014 the Irish AAIU released their final report concluding the probable cause of the incident was:
It is likely that corrosion of the threaded portion of the apex pin had occurred such that the serrated washer and retaining nut separated from the link pin allowing the link pin to migrate free.
Contributory Cause(s)
The susceptibility of the link pin material to corrosion at the threaded portion following degradation of the cadmium protection.
The AAIU reported that the aircraft made a normal landing on Dublin's runway 10, after the touch down of the nose wheels a severe shimmy from the nose gear was felt. The crew stopped the aircraft on the runway, emergency services reported all tyres were properly inflated. The aircraft slowly taxied off the active runway and stopped on an adjacent taxiway, where the engines were shut down, passengers disembarked and were bussed to the terminal.
An inspection at the taxiway revealed the nose gear apex pin was missing (see sketch below).
The AAIU analysed: "This was the first reported loss of an apex pin by this Operator. Following the Incident, the Operator identified a practice at outstations whereby large wheel chocks could be positioned in such a way that it was possible to lodge under the apex pin locking washer and while the chock was being removed, leading to its displacement. Following this event, the chocking of the nose wheels was monitored closely to avoid damage to the NLG torque link assembly. No further instances were reported by the Operator."
The AAIU analysed that the aircraft manufacturer had found substantial corrosion on the threaded portion of the apex pin in some instances and it was likely such corrosion had a bearing into the loss of the serrated washer and nut in this case. The AAIU concluded analysis: "Despite several searches by the AFS, neither the missing link pin nor any of the retaining hardware was found. Without this evidence, it was not possible for the Investigation to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the loss of the torque link pin."
Metars:
EIDW 301700Z 09011KT 9999 SCT030 BKN040 04/M03 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301630Z 09010KT 9999 SCT030 BKN040 04/M03 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301600Z 09011KT 9999 SCT030 BKN040 04/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301530Z 09011KT 9999 FEW025 BKN040 05/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301500Z 11011KT 080V140 9999 FEW025 BKN040 05/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301430Z 11010KT 070V140 9999 FEW025 BKN040 04/M05 Q1013 NOSIG
EIDW 301400Z 10011KT 9999 FEW025 BKN040 04/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301330Z 10011KT 070V150 9999 FEW025 BKN040 05/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301300Z 12011KT 080V150 9999 FEW025 BKN040 05/M05 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301230Z 10013KT 9999 FEW025 SCT040 05/M04 Q1014 NOSIG
EIDW 301200Z 11014KT 9999 FEW025 SCT040 05/M05 Q1014 NOSIG
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 30, 2013
Classification
Incident
Airline
Aer Arann
Flight number
RE-3255
Departure
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Destination
Dublin, Ireland
Aircraft Registration
EI-REI
Aircraft Type
ATR ATR-72-200
ICAO Type Designator
AT72
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Aer Arann AT72 at Manchester on Aug 15th 2012, bird strike
An Aer Arann Avion de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 on behalf of Aer Lingus, registration EI-REI performing flight RE-3720/EI-3720 from Cork…
Arann AT72 at Cork on Jan 2nd 2014, salted windshield
An Aer Arann Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-500 on behalf of Aer Lingus, registration EI-REL performing flight EI-3729 from Manchester,EN (UK)…
Arann AT42 at Shannon on Feb 12th 2014, aircraft at gate lifted off due to storm
An Aer Arann Avions de Transport Regional ATR-42-300, registration EI-BYO, was parked at the gate in Shannon for the night after having arrived as…
Arann AT72 at Dublin on Dec 26th 2013, avionics problem
An Aer Arann Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-600 on behalf of Aer Lingus, registration EI-FAW performing flight EI-3292 from Dublin (Ireland) to…
Aer Arann AT72 at Cork on May 13th 2012, hard landing
The Irish AAIU released their final report reporting the occurrence's rating was changed to serious incident. The AAIU concluded the probable cause…
Arann AT42 at Cardiff on Oct 11th 2013, burst tyre on landing
An Aer Arann Avions de Tansport Regional ATR-42-300 on behalf of Aer Lingus, registration EI-CBK performing flight EI-3296 from Dublin (Ireland) to…
Newest articles
British Airways A320 near London on Sep 22nd 2023, loss of cabin pressure
A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUUC performing flight BA-508 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Faro (Portugal), was enroute at FL350…
Eurowings A321 in Dusseldorf on Sep 21st 2023, rejected takeoff due to NAV fault
A Eurowings Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIDP performing flight EW-9642 from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Faro (Portugal) with 206 passengers and 7…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner

A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.

Your regulation partner, specialists in aviation safety and compliance; providing training, auditing, and consultancy services. Find out more.
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways