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A heavy freighter has to return land at dal when their right main gear indicates an unsafe condition. Crew was unable to retract that gear.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 410552 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199808 |
| Day | Tue |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : dal |
| State Reference | TX |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Marginal |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zfw tracon : dfw tower : psc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : takeoff landing other other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 5500 flight time type : 2500 |
| ASRS Report | 410552 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
Narrative:
After the takeoff, during the after takeoff checklist, a gear unsafe (right main gear) light was on. Light remained on during gear uplatch check. The right main gear remained down and locked. The gear was cycled twice but without a change in the condition. Aircraft speed was maintained within gear down speed limitations. After cycling the gear, the PIC requested the flight engineer to check for gear pins on board. Only 1 found on board. We contacted company and returned to departure airport (dal) without incident. Upon block-in, right main gear had pin installed with no red streamer attached. Upon inspection of 1 gear pin on board, found red streamer attached with .032 safety wire. Flags are supposed to be attached with braided aircraft cable size around 3/32 inches. Inspected aircraft for damage -- none noted. Checked brakes for temperature, all within quick turnaround parameters. Departed for destination iln, all uneventful. On block in at dal after incident, captain talked with mechanics and they said that they did not pull the pins on the predep check. The flight engineer stated that he saw no red flags in the area of the main gears during his required safety check or predep inspection. The mechanic (on loan from domicile -- iln) said that pulling the pins are not on his predep check. We do not know this to be a fact. Regardless, somewhere the system broke down because 3 separate checks were done and no one found the installed gear pins (it is assumed that the left gear pin came out aerodynamically on takeoff, or it was sheared off on gear retraction). Solution: if pulling the gear pins are not a part of the maintenance predep checklist, it should be added. Also, a company flight crew letter (means of immediate notification) should be put out addressing the possibility of a pin(south) installed with the red streamer missing. Finally, greater attention should be exercised in close inspection of the gear pin receptacle for pin(south) installed during each responsible crew member's preflight inspection.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A HVY FREIGHTER HAS TO RETURN LAND AT DAL WHEN THEIR R MAIN GEAR INDICATES AN UNSAFE CONDITION. CREW WAS UNABLE TO RETRACT THAT GEAR.
Narrative: AFTER THE TKOF, DURING THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST, A GEAR UNSAFE (R MAIN GEAR) LIGHT WAS ON. LIGHT REMAINED ON DURING GEAR UPLATCH CHK. THE R MAIN GEAR REMAINED DOWN AND LOCKED. THE GEAR WAS CYCLED TWICE BUT WITHOUT A CHANGE IN THE CONDITION. ACFT SPD WAS MAINTAINED WITHIN GEAR DOWN SPD LIMITATIONS. AFTER CYCLING THE GEAR, THE PIC REQUESTED THE FE TO CHK FOR GEAR PINS ON BOARD. ONLY 1 FOUND ON BOARD. WE CONTACTED COMPANY AND RETURNED TO DEP ARPT (DAL) WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON BLOCK-IN, R MAIN GEAR HAD PIN INSTALLED WITH NO RED STREAMER ATTACHED. UPON INSPECTION OF 1 GEAR PIN ON BOARD, FOUND RED STREAMER ATTACHED WITH .032 SAFETY WIRE. FLAGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ATTACHED WITH BRAIDED ACFT CABLE SIZE AROUND 3/32 INCHES. INSPECTED ACFT FOR DAMAGE -- NONE NOTED. CHKED BRAKES FOR TEMP, ALL WITHIN QUICK TURNAROUND PARAMETERS. DEPARTED FOR DEST ILN, ALL UNEVENTFUL. ON BLOCK IN AT DAL AFTER INCIDENT, CAPT TALKED WITH MECHS AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DID NOT PULL THE PINS ON THE PREDEP CHK. THE FE STATED THAT HE SAW NO RED FLAGS IN THE AREA OF THE MAIN GEARS DURING HIS REQUIRED SAFETY CHK OR PREDEP INSPECTION. THE MECH (ON LOAN FROM DOMICILE -- ILN) SAID THAT PULLING THE PINS ARE NOT ON HIS PREDEP CHK. WE DO NOT KNOW THIS TO BE A FACT. REGARDLESS, SOMEWHERE THE SYS BROKE DOWN BECAUSE 3 SEPARATE CHKS WERE DONE AND NO ONE FOUND THE INSTALLED GEAR PINS (IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE L GEAR PIN CAME OUT AERODYNAMICALLY ON TKOF, OR IT WAS SHEARED OFF ON GEAR RETRACTION). SOLUTION: IF PULLING THE GEAR PINS ARE NOT A PART OF THE MAINT PREDEP CHKLIST, IT SHOULD BE ADDED. ALSO, A COMPANY FLC LETTER (MEANS OF IMMEDIATE NOTIFICATION) SHOULD BE PUT OUT ADDRESSING THE POSSIBILITY OF A PIN(S) INSTALLED WITH THE RED STREAMER MISSING. FINALLY, GREATER ATTN SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE GEAR PIN RECEPTACLE FOR PIN(S) INSTALLED DURING EACH RESPONSIBLE CREW MEMBER'S PREFLT INSPECTION.
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.