Another Landing Minus Nose Gear

[chucky]

Sanford airport back to normal after emergency landing

Gary Taylor | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 30, 2007, 10:29 AM EDT


Flight operations are back to normal this morning at Orlando Sanford International Airport after Allegiant Air Flight 758 from Portsmouth, N.H., made an emergency landing Thursday without its nose gear extended.

Two British charters, both Boeing 747s, were diverted because the airport's main east-west runway was closed after the emergency landing. While smaller planes landed on a north-south runway and some large planes took off from it, the 747s "were too big to land on a 6,000-foot runway," airport president Larry Dale said.

One of the charters was diverted to Orlando International Airport and the other to Tampa. They were scheduled to return to Sanford this morning to pick up passengers flying back to England, Dale said.

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[CynicalResAgent]

Just a question for any aircraft technicians/mechanics... I know the MD-80 is a very robust aircraft but does a landning minus nose gear cause any structural damage to the airframe? it looks like an antenna might have just missed being squished but asides from that can an aircraft like this one be serviced and made airworthy? I'd imagine the pilot probably kept the nose up and probably did a good job keeping the damage to a minimum/till the aircraft was at relatively slow speed?

 

[A/C FIXER]

Just a question for any aircraft technicians/mechanics... I know the MD-80 is a very robust aircraft but does a landning minus nose gear cause any structural damage to the airframe? it looks like an antenna might have just missed being squished but asides from that can an aircraft like this one be serviced and made airworthy? I'd imagine the pilot probably kept the nose up and probably did a good job keeping the damage to a minimum/till the aircraft was at relatively slow speed?

I'm one of the mechanics working this plane, AA has a nose to tail contract and we will be working this A/C in TUL, its already jacked up and we are doing an inspection for the NTSB.
Now to answer your original question, there is some structural damage but not as bad as one would think, there will have to be some skin, longerons and ribs worked as well as new gear doors and E&E door and door frame, antennas and a galley drain mast as well as any hidden damage we come up on as we progress. Hope this answered your question.

 

[CynicalResAgent]

thanks. You answered it. Douglas built some good planes.