DL loses a wheel and some brake parts on TLV runway

[FWAAA]

A week ago (October 3), a Delta aircraft lost a wheel and some brake parts on takeoff from TLV.   Wonder if the loose wheel should have been noticed by maintenance at TLV?
 
That's not the worst of it.  Apparently, an alarm system designed to alert the tower to the presence of debris was ignored by the TLV controllers as a false alarm, and the FOD stayed out there on the runway for another five hours or so, until daylight began to illuminate it and only then did the TLV ATC notify DL that it lost some parts that might impact the landing when the plane reached NYC.   TLV then swept the runway so that other planes wouldn't collide with the FOD.   Several planes used the runway in the interim, but fortunately, no accidents occurred.   
 
http://www.timesofisrael.com/delta-plane-loses-a-wheel-brake-parts-on-takeoff-from-israel/
 
Photo shows a 747 but that's probably a file photo - the actual plane was likely a 777.   

 

[Hatu]

Wow, that is scary. Could have resulted in another Air France flight 4590.

Silly thing to notice: the caption under the picture says: A New York-bound Delta Air Lines flight 469 at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

The problem, of course, is it looks like the passengers are deplaning. So it is an inbound flight from somewhere, not an outbound flight.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I would imagine that the FAA has already begun an investigation and DL mechanics at JFK obviously found the problem on landing?

 

[jimntx]

Actually, the DL mechanics from JFK parachuted to the plane while it was in a holding pattern off New Jersey and did the necessary repairs to the airplane; so, it didn't have to land with any missing parts.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I'm actually more interested in hearing from a mechanic - DL or not - that is familiar with how this could have occurred on a 777.

 

[Kev3188]

Actually, the DL mechanics from JFK parachuted to the plane while it was in a holding pattern off New Jersey and did the necessary repairs to the airplane; so, it didn't have to land with any missing parts.

Our A/C regenerate their own parts, so parachuting in is unecessary.

Seriously though; all arriving A/C are looked at w/in a minute or 2 of blocking in....

 

[FWAAA]

I would imagine that the FAA has already begun an investigation and DL mechanics at JFK obviously found the problem on landing?

Had you read either my post carefully or read the linked article, then you would not have posted the bolded part;   the DL mechanics at JFK did not obviously find the problem on landing.   When the sun came up at TLV, and they saw the parts, TLV ATC notified DL that it may have been their plane that lost the parts, so DL knew about it for the last half of the TLV-JFK flight.  
 
From the linked article:  
 

Once the debris was spotted, Israeli officials notified Delta, which arranged for heightened alert at the plane’s destination airport. The plane landed safely.[/size]

 

[700UW]

Don't you know that DL can do no wrong in his mind?

WT's Fabricated Facts strikes again.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I read BOTH your post and the article, FWAAA.

There is no disparity between what I posted or what Kev said are anything other than accurate and in complete agreement with the facts you noted.

The plane landed safely. As Kev notes, aircraft are regularly inspected and a missing wheel wouldn't take even too long to discover.

I'm still interested in hearing how something like this might have happened from a mechanic.

 

[Word Unraveler]

Our A/C regenerate their own parts, so parachuting in is unecessary.

Seriously though; all arriving A/C are looked at w/in a minute or 2 of blocking in....

 
I suspect a tyre may have been replaced on the overnight check at TLV and incorrectly secured?

 

[WorldTraveler]

let me guess which [person has this duplicate account.

you TRULY are unhinged when you have to resort to a pseudo account to try to keep up with what is said here.

unless you are a mechanic, I'll defer to one who is.

 

[metopower]

I suspect a tyre may have been replaced on the overnight check at TLV and incorrectly secured?

Well I know and the aircraft is on the ground in tlv for only 2:30 . Tire change would have been done at JFK before the trip unless there had been some damage. As far as the runway in question. That runway is only used for wide bodies and is preferable at night only because of noise abatement.May have been only one or two departures after this one.The real safety issue was the debris on the runway. Landing would have been normal but caution would have been taken.

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

 

 
+1 just for the nic

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

It is scary that if the debris triggered an alarm, that it was ignored.
 
But I do have a question:  if 10 planes used the runway following the DL flight, why none of the crews noticed any of the debris?  I suppose the brake parts might not be obvious to spot, but a wheel?

 

[FWAAA]

Well I know and the aircraft is on the ground in tlv for only 2:30 . Tire change would have been done at JFK before the trip unless there had been some damage. As far as the runway in question. That runway is only used for wide bodies and is preferable at night only because of noise abatement.May have been only one or two departures after this one.The real safety issue was the debris on the runway. Landing would have been normal but caution would have been taken.

JFK-TLV arrives TLV around 1735 and departs TLV around 2335, so I think it sits for more like 6 hours, not 2.5, but even TLV-based mechanics should be able to change a tyre in 2.5 hours (or 6 hours) and should still have had sufficient time to torque the bolts to the required specs.

Apparently, you didn't read the article, either, which discloses that about 10 departures occurred after the DL flight and before the officials noticed the debris on the runway.

Had another AF 4590 disaster occurred, I wonder if Israeli law would excuse DL due to TLV officials ignoring the ground-debris radar warning? It would still have been DL's debris but the proximate cause of the disaster would have been the inexcusable behaviour of TLV officials not cleaning the debris for about 5 hours. The really good news is that everyone on board the subsequent flights at TLV took off and landed safely despite the despicable behaviour of the TLV officials.