Delta B763 at Paris on Aug 24th 2012, severe vibrations on landing

Last Update: August 26, 2012 / 13:07:34 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 24, 2012

Classification
Accident

Airline
Delta Airlines

Flight number
DL-28

Departure
Atlanta, United States

Destination
Paris Charles de Gaulle, France

Aircraft Registration
N179DN

Aircraft Type
Boeing 767-300

ICAO Type Designator
B763

A Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300, registration N179DN performing flight DL-28 (dep Aug 23rd) from Atlanta,GA (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 209 passengers, suffered severe vibrations while landing at Paris Charles de Gaulle at 05:27L (03:27Z), the aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the gate. No injuries occurred, the aircraft however sustained substantial damage.

The return flight DL-29 was cancelled.

The airline said the aircraft landed safely but sustained damage. All occupantes remained uninjured, the passengers disembarked at the jetway. The aircraft is currently undergoing examinations. French Authorities have opened an investigation.

It is currently not known with certainty which runway the aircraft landed on due to the aircraft's position remaining invisible in the radar data, however, position data of other aircraft arriving around the accident time show them all land on Charles de Gaulle's runway 09L.

Passenger Ginny believed the terminal was to the left hand side of the aircraft during the landing roll, the aircraft turned to the left towards the terminal (suggesting the aircraft landed on one of the runways 08). The aircraft shook violently during roll out, the aircraft stopped on the runway and emergency services responded. The captain announced they needed to be inspected as part of the standard operating procedures before proceeding to the gate, his instruments revealed no anomaly with the aircraft. Even after the aircraft had stopped there was mild shaking of the aircraft. After a number of fire trucks had arrived and about 10-15 firemen had swarmed out to inspect the aircraft, the aircraft taxied slowly to the gate, the shaking from side to side intensified during taxi, the trucks were following the aircraft to the gate. It was too dark to see any details/damage out there.

Passenger Byron said, the aircraft began shaking violently a second or two after touch down, the shaking grew worse and worse as the aircraft slowed down until it came to a stop. The captain announced they had some unexpected shaking, they might have blown a nose gear tyre, none of the cockpit indications showed any problem though. Emergency vehicles approached the aircraft, after a while the captain announced the tyres were okay, and the aircraft taxied to the gate turning left off the runway. After leaving the aircraft through the jetway the passenger could see 3 or four people standing in a semi-circle around the nose gear looking at the nose gear.

Metars:
LFPG 240500Z 29002KT CAVOK 16/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240430Z 28002KT CAVOK 16/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240400Z VRB02KT CAVOK 15/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240330Z 00000KT CAVOK 15/12 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240300Z 31003KT 270V340 CAVOK 16/12 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240230Z 31003KT CAVOK 16/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240200Z VRB02KT CAVOK 16/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240130Z VRB03KT CAVOK 17/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240100Z 36005KT 340V040 CAVOK 17/13 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240030Z 01005KT CAVOK 17/12 Q1008 NOSIG
LFPG 240000Z 02005KT CAVOK 17/12 Q1009 NOSIG
LFPG 232330Z 03005KT CAVOK 17/12 Q1009 NOSIG
LFPG 232300Z 04007KT 010V100 CAVOK 18/12 Q1009 NOSIG