Narrative:

Normal start, push back and taxi out. Aircraft cleared to line up and wait on runway 33 from position 'right.' at about 70 degree to 80 degree turn onto runway aircraft listed severely to the right. Aircraft was moving at approximately 1 to 2 KTS ground speed with a rounded turn on. First officer opened his window and visually verified no smoke or fire or fuel spillage under aircraft. Passenger were notified via PA by relief pilot that our right landing gear had failed and to remain seated and to wait for further instructions from the crew. The flight attendants were coordination with and directed to not evacuate/evacuation unless they saw smoke or fire or directed by us. They were informed that the fire trucks and stairs were on the way. We had secured the engines and had called the tower by this time and they also confirmed no smoke or fire was visible. Stairs arrived and passenger deplaned from 1L door as well as aft left door. During deplaning, a passenger told me that he had heard a loud noise during the push back and taxi phase. He did not notify us. Crew coordination (whole) was very good. Flight attendants remained calm and very professional. The immediate PA by relief pilot, I think helped to avert a panic in the aircraft cabin. We hoped stairs would arrive quickly as if fire started the slides on the left side would have been deployed but would have been very steep and many injuries would have occurred. The main landing gear strut penetrated the upper surface of the wing. The left engine settled onto the runway and severed the aft pylon bolts and shed turbine blades out the tail pipe for some distance. Wing tip did not rest on runway. An emergency 'ad' was issued by boeing aircraft that afternoon to inspect all B767's. This was a B767-300ER at 404000 pounds. The third crew member in the cockpit (relief pilot) proved to be an invaluable asset. The airport fire and rescue and helicopter teams responded quickly and effectively and were most helpful securing the aircraft to prevent further damage. Tower people were great, as were the whole crew. We rolled the dice and came up winners. We were ever so lucky. Supplemental information from acn 316103: onclred to take the runway and hold, at low speed, a sudden failure of right gear caused aircraft to settle on engine and tear it off wing. No fire or fuel spill. Passenger evacuate/evacuationed by stairs. Causes: I believe this was caused by a failure of a support mount on the landing gear. It has come to my attention that there has been 4 other events of this type recently yet no line aircrew have notice of this. Are they waiting till someone dies? Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: when boeing mechanics came to the foreign airport to help repair aircraft they told reporter that other B767 aircraft had similar landing gear problems. According to reporter, the gear is unsubstantial because the original B767, at 300000 pounds used the old B747 main gear bogeys. Then as the B767 got heavier and heavier, until the current 404000 pound er model, the main gear can't take the added weight and stress. Boeing issued an emergency ad to inspect all B767's. Reporter claims that boeing, as well as acrs, have known about this weakness in the gear and have chosen to ignore it because of the major expense involved in design and installation of new assemblies. Crew coordination was excellent throughout the incident and all were very thankful that there was no fire. Hydraulic lines were broken and volatile, but no major fuel spill occurred. Also, the right engine had just been started, so the heat build up was still relatively low. When the engine hit the ground and the case pushed into the fan and turbine sections, blades were shed out the rear of the engine. Had they been very hot, it could have created worse problems. Reporter says that the local tower and emergency crews were superb. The tower had seen the aircraft problem and immediately called out the emergency ground crew who arrived at the aircraft within a couple mins. However a rather serious difficulty arose, none of the emergency personnel at the aircraft could speak english. Consequently the flight crew didn't know what was happening outside the aircraft, ie, fuel leaks, etc. It was fortunate passenger could deplane with stairs because the angle of aircraft would make slides unsafe.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. CRITICAL R MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.

Narrative: NORMAL START, PUSH BACK AND TAXI OUT. ACFT CLRED TO LINE UP AND WAIT ON RWY 33 FROM POS 'R.' AT ABOUT 70 DEG TO 80 DEG TURN ONTO RWY ACFT LISTED SEVERELY TO THE R. ACFT WAS MOVING AT APPROX 1 TO 2 KTS GND SPD WITH A ROUNDED TURN ON. FO OPENED HIS WINDOW AND VISUALLY VERIFIED NO SMOKE OR FIRE OR FUEL SPILLAGE UNDER ACFT. PAX WERE NOTIFIED VIA PA BY RELIEF PLT THAT OUR R LNDG GEAR HAD FAILED AND TO REMAIN SEATED AND TO WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CREW. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE COORD WITH AND DIRECTED TO NOT EVAC UNLESS THEY SAW SMOKE OR FIRE OR DIRECTED BY US. THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THE FIRE TRUCKS AND STAIRS WERE ON THE WAY. WE HAD SECURED THE ENGS AND HAD CALLED THE TWR BY THIS TIME AND THEY ALSO CONFIRMED NO SMOKE OR FIRE WAS VISIBLE. STAIRS ARRIVED AND PAX DEPLANED FROM 1L DOOR AS WELL AS AFT L DOOR. DURING DEPLANING, A PAX TOLD ME THAT HE HAD HEARD A LOUD NOISE DURING THE PUSH BACK AND TAXI PHASE. HE DID NOT NOTIFY US. CREW COORD (WHOLE) WAS VERY GOOD. FLT ATTENDANTS REMAINED CALM AND VERY PROFESSIONAL. THE IMMEDIATE PA BY RELIEF PLT, I THINK HELPED TO AVERT A PANIC IN THE ACFT CABIN. WE HOPED STAIRS WOULD ARRIVE QUICKLY AS IF FIRE STARTED THE SLIDES ON THE L SIDE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED BUT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY STEEP AND MANY INJURIES WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE MAIN LNDG GEAR STRUT PENETRATED THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE WING. THE L ENG SETTLED ONTO THE RWY AND SEVERED THE AFT PYLON BOLTS AND SHED TURBINE BLADES OUT THE TAIL PIPE FOR SOME DISTANCE. WING TIP DID NOT REST ON RWY. AN EMER 'AD' WAS ISSUED BY BOEING ACFT THAT AFTERNOON TO INSPECT ALL B767'S. THIS WAS A B767-300ER AT 404000 LBS. THE THIRD CREW MEMBER IN THE COCKPIT (RELIEF PLT) PROVED TO BE AN INVALUABLE ASSET. THE ARPT FIRE AND RESCUE AND HELI TEAMS RESPONDED QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY AND WERE MOST HELPFUL SECURING THE ACFT TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE. TWR PEOPLE WERE GREAT, AS WERE THE WHOLE CREW. WE ROLLED THE DICE AND CAME UP WINNERS. WE WERE EVER SO LUCKY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 316103: ONCLRED TO TAKE THE RWY AND HOLD, AT LOW SPD, A SUDDEN FAILURE OF R GEAR CAUSED ACFT TO SETTLE ON ENG AND TEAR IT OFF WING. NO FIRE OR FUEL SPILL. PAX EVACED BY STAIRS. CAUSES: I BELIEVE THIS WAS CAUSED BY A FAILURE OF A SUPPORT MOUNT ON THE LNDG GEAR. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTN THAT THERE HAS BEEN 4 OTHER EVENTS OF THIS TYPE RECENTLY YET NO LINE AIRCREW HAVE NOTICE OF THIS. ARE THEY WAITING TILL SOMEONE DIES? CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: WHEN BOEING MECHS CAME TO THE FOREIGN ARPT TO HELP REPAIR ACFT THEY TOLD RPTR THAT OTHER B767 ACFT HAD SIMILAR LNDG GEAR PROBS. ACCORDING TO RPTR, THE GEAR IS UNSUBSTANTIAL BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL B767, AT 300000 LBS USED THE OLD B747 MAIN GEAR BOGEYS. THEN AS THE B767 GOT HEAVIER AND HEAVIER, UNTIL THE CURRENT 404000 LB ER MODEL, THE MAIN GEAR CAN'T TAKE THE ADDED WT AND STRESS. BOEING ISSUED AN EMER AD TO INSPECT ALL B767'S. RPTR CLAIMS THAT BOEING, AS WELL AS ACRS, HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS WEAKNESS IN THE GEAR AND HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE IT BECAUSE OF THE MAJOR EXPENSE INVOLVED IN DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF NEW ASSEMBLIES. CREW COORD WAS EXCELLENT THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT AND ALL WERE VERY THANKFUL THAT THERE WAS NO FIRE. HYD LINES WERE BROKEN AND VOLATILE, BUT NO MAJOR FUEL SPILL OCCURRED. ALSO, THE R ENG HAD JUST BEEN STARTED, SO THE HEAT BUILD UP WAS STILL RELATIVELY LOW. WHEN THE ENG HIT THE GND AND THE CASE PUSHED INTO THE FAN AND TURBINE SECTIONS, BLADES WERE SHED OUT THE REAR OF THE ENG. HAD THEY BEEN VERY HOT, IT COULD HAVE CREATED WORSE PROBS. RPTR SAYS THAT THE LCL TWR AND EMER CREWS WERE SUPERB. THE TWR HAD SEEN THE ACFT PROB AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED OUT THE EMER GND CREW WHO ARRIVED AT THE ACFT WITHIN A COUPLE MINS. HOWEVER A RATHER SERIOUS DIFFICULTY AROSE, NONE OF THE EMER PERSONNEL AT THE ACFT COULD SPEAK ENGLISH. CONSEQUENTLY THE FLC DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING OUTSIDE THE ACFT, IE, FUEL LEAKS, ETC. IT WAS FORTUNATE PAX COULD DEPLANE WITH STAIRS BECAUSE THE ANGLE OF ACFT WOULD MAKE SLIDES UNSAFE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.