Pilot Debrief

Boeing 727 200 near Tuscaloosa, AL — 2019-01-29

Final reportDCA19LA070
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Date
2019-01-29
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Airport
KTCL
Aircraft
Boeing 727 200
Registration
N720CK
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

the captain's decision to continue the landing with an unsafe gear indication.

NTSB narrative

The flight from LRD to the TCL area was normal, with no weather or operational issues. As the flight was on final approach, with the power near idle, the captain called for flaps 15 and gear down. A red status light for the nose gear illuminated indicating it was not down and locked. All flight crewmembers reported they saw the light. The flight engineer recommended recycling the gear lever, and the First Officer recommended a go-around to troubleshoot. The Captain declined and continued the approach. He did not call for or conduct any checklists for abnormal gear operation. The airplane landed long, and upon derotation, the forward fuselage contacted the runway with the nose gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage. The airplane came to rest with less than 500 feet of pavement remaining. The aircraft operation manual notes that attempting to extend gear while simultaneously operating flaps at idle power may result in unreliable gear operation. A crew operating the accident airplane two days prior reported having a gear issue under those conditions. Recycling the gear lever cleared the problem. It is likely that if the crew had conducted a go-around and completed the abnormal checklists and/or cycled the gear, the nose gear would have extended. Had it not extended, a go-around would have allowed for a more stabilized approach and landing with more runway available.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Captain declined to go around to troubleshoot the gear issue.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • CVR
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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