First Officer (FO) Lowered The Landing Gear Handle And Observed The Nose Wheel Unsafe Condition Light Illuminate

Location: Charlotte, NC Accident Number: DCA23FA339
Date & Time: June 28, 2023, 08:58 Local Registration: N955AT
Aircraft: Boeing 717-200 Injuries: 104 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 121: Air carrier - Scheduled

On June 28, 2023, about 0858 eastern daylight time (EDT), Delta Air Lines flight 1092, a Boeing 717-200, sustained substantial damage when the nose landing gear did not extend before landing at Charlotte Douglass International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, North Carolina. The 104 passengers and crew evacuated with no injuries. The flight was operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 scheduled domestic passenger flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to CLT.

The flight crew reported that when the airplane was about 2,000 ft above ground level (AGL), the first officer (FO) lowered the landing gear handle and observed the nose wheel unsafe condition light illuminate. The unsafe condition was confirmed in the configuration page of the electronic instrument system (EIS). A go-around was initiated to trouble shoot and complete the applicable checklists. A manual gear extension was attempted without success. 

Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta flight control was notified via Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), an emergency was declared with air traffic control (ATC) and the flight proceeded inbound on the ILS 36L approach. As the airplane approached 300 ft AGL, ATC notified the flight crew that the nose wheel was not visible, and a second go-around was initiated. In an effort to lower the nose wheel, multiple normal and manual landing gear extension attempts were made to no avail and the decision was made to proceed with the landing.

The airplane touched down about 1,400 ft from the runway’s threshold and the nose was lowered onto the runway at about 80 knots. The airplane stopped just before taxiway W7 and CLT airport aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) sprayed the nose wheel area with water.

The flight crew conducted the shutdown and evacuation checklists. After the fire chief verified that the area was safe, an evacuation was performed through the two forward entry doors with the passengers utilizing emergency slides. A postaccident examination of the nose landing gear system revealed a fractured upper lock link. Due to the fractured upper lock link, the lower lock link was free to swing down to a vertical position and made contact with the nose landing gear assembly and thereby restricted its movement.

 The fractured lock link was sent to the NTSB materials laboratory for examination and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), and the flight data recorder (FDR) were sent to the NTSB recorders laboratory for download. The airplane’s maintenance records have been quarantined and will be subject to review. 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov