Colgan DH8D at Houston on Apr 7th 2012, nose gear up landing
Last Update: October 22, 2015 / 21:39:00 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Apr 7, 2012
Airline
Colgan Air
Flight number
9L-4915
Departure
Little Rock, United States
Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States
Aircraft Registration
N213WQ
Aircraft Type
De Havilland Dash 8 (400)
ICAO Type Designator
DH8D
On Apr 17th 2012 the NTSB reported the aircraft landed with the nose gear retracted. There were no injuries to the occupants of the aircraft, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. An investigation has been opened.
In 2015 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:
the nose landing gear alternate release handle was not pulled with sufficient enough force or distance to release the uplocks and allow extension of the nose landing gear.
Contributing to the accident was the dissimilar pull force and pull length set on the flight simulator that was used for flight crew training of alternate landing gear extension procedures and the lack of information available to crew members advising of the dissimilar pull force.
The NTSB reported that the crew received an amber nose gear open advisory indication as well as a landing gear inoperative indication and noticed unusual airflow sounds. In cruise flight a thump was heard and the abnormal indications extinguished, the crew received indication that the nose gear had fully retracted and the nose gear doors were closed. In consultation with maintenance the crew performed the alternate gear extension procedure at the destination, both main gear indicated down and locked, however the nose gear indicated red, the crew decided to land the aircraft with the nose gear retracted.
The NTSB reported that post accident examination was able to successfully extend the nose gear employing the alternate extension procedure as well as under hydraulic pressure. No fault was found with the landing gear system.
The NTSB annotated that 72 lbs of force were needed to extend the nose gear in the alternate extension in those tests. The design requirements were to pull the handle with 90lbs and extend the handle by 11 inches. However, a test in a flight simulator revealed that the force to simulate the gear extension via alternate procedure was significantly lower as compared to the aircraft. The NTSB wrote: "There was no guidance contained in the alternate landing gear extension procedure specifying required pull forces when using the alternate extension handle. Subsequent to the accident, the manufacturer added details to the alternate landing gear extension procedure in the Airplane Flight Manual regarding the maximum pull forces that a pilot may experience when the alternate extension handle is pulled."
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Apr 7, 2012
Airline
Colgan Air
Flight number
9L-4915
Departure
Little Rock, United States
Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States
Aircraft Registration
N213WQ
Aircraft Type
De Havilland Dash 8 (400)
ICAO Type Designator
DH8D
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
Republic DH8D at Denver on Feb 25th 2015, weight on wheel sensor inoperative
A Republic Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of United, registration N213WQ performing flight YX-4912/UA-4912 from Denver,CO to Kansas…
Colgan DH8D near Washington on May 16th 2011, turbulence injures flight attendant
A Colgan Air de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Continental Airlines, registration N351NG performing flight 9L-3261/CO-3261 from Newark,NJ to…
Colgan DH8D near Pittsburgh on Mar 17th 2011, engine shut down in flight because of engine fire
A Colgan Air de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Continental Airlines, registration N339NG performing flight 9L-3212/CO-3212 from Cleveland,OH to…
Colgan SF34 at Plattsburgh on Apr 7th 2012, engine shut down in flight
A Colgan Saab 340B on behalf of US Airways, flight 9L-4785 from Boston,MA to Plattsburgh,NY (USA) with 9 passengers and 3 crew, was on approach to…
Newest articles
Austrian A320 at Hamburg on Nov 30th 2023, bird strike
An Austrian Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration OE-LZD performing flight OS-174 from Hamburg (Germany) to Vienna (Austria), was climbing out of…
Austrian E195 near Venice on Nov 30th 2023, de-icing system problems
An Austrian Airlines Embraer ERJ-195, registration OE-LWF performing flight OS-575 from Vienna (Austria) to Geneva (Switzerland), was enroute at…
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