Air Transport
NTSB Investigates ATR 72 Hard Landing
Aviation Week & Space Technology
05/17/2004, page 40
Frances Fiorino
Washington
ATR 72 Hard Landing at San Juan
NTSB investigators are unraveling what chain of events led to American Eagle Flight 5401's hard landing at San Juan, Puerto Rico, which caused substantial wing damage and injuries to 13 of 26 people on board.
On May 9, the ATR 72-212 twin-turboprop aircraft (N438AT) landed on Runway 8 at San Juan's Luiz Munoz International Airport at about 2:50 p.m. local time. Four crew and 22 passengers were on the flight from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
According to preliminary NTSB data, the aircraft landed hard, and then departed the runway. Examination revealed that the left landing gear had separated from the aircraft and that the left wing was substantially damaged (see photo). In the process, 11 passengers and one crewmember sustained minor injuries; one crewmember suffered serious injury.
Investigators are exploring all possible factors leading to the accident, including weather and mechanical problems.
FAA preliminary data show the aircraft encountered 15-kt. winds from 070 deg. with gusts to 22 kt. Visibility was 10 mi. In addition, the flight crew was in contact with local controllers and had received clearance for the visual approach to Runway 8.
The ATR 72-series landing gear has been the focus of a few FAA airworthiness directives. One--AD-98-04-43, which became effective Apr. 3, 1998--required replacement of certain landing gear attachment pins. Its purpose was to prevent wear of the pins, "which could result in collapse of the main landing gear."
Credit: PEDRO PAENECO
In 1994, reports of the rupture of hinge pins due to stress corrosion in the main landing gear shock absorber produced AD 94-15-09. This AD, effective Aug. 8, 1994, required hinge pin inspections "to prevent loss of the main landing gear during a hard landing due to malfunction of the shock absorber."