737s Need Both

When United Flight 604 left Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Wednesday morning, everything seemed OK. In fact, everything was OK, until it landed at Reagan National, in D.C.

All 57 PAX and five crew are fine; but the 'liner sustained significant damage, due to landing on just one nosewheel. Nobody knew that one wheel had been left behind; it was found in the grass alongside the runway back in Chicago.

The FAA's Jim Peters, contacted by ANN Thursday morning, told us, "Early reports said the tire had gone flat, but the people at O'Hare said they had the wheel in hand. We also had heard that the nose gear collapsed; we don't think that's what happened, either."

Probably on landing, the missing wheel caused additional troubles. Mr. Peters said, "The #2 engine had some FOD damage. You'd have to assume it was from the wheel event; but we're checking on that now."

It's Not Just 737s With that Problem:

It's conceivably a bigger problem on a 152. Granted, there weren't 62 souls to consider, or 120,000 pounds of airplane; on the other hand, the 152 has just one nose wheel...

**   Report created 9/25/2003   Record 9  **
IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 4670B        Make/Model: C152      Description: 152, A152, Aerobat
  Date: 09/24/2003     Time: 1844
  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Minor
LOCATION
  City: TULSA                       State: OK   Country: US
DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL FELL OFF, LANDED WITHOUT NOSEWHEEL ON RUNWAY 19R, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN, RIVERSIDE AIRPORT, TULSA, OK
INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:  1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
WEATHER: 1753Z 20012KT 10SMCLR 29/19 A2993                                          
OTHER DATA
  Activity: Training      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation
  Departed: ADA, OK                     Dep Date: 09/24/2003   Dep. Time:     
  Destination: MCALESTER, OK            Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: Y
  Last Radio Cont: ON FINAL TO RUNWAY 19R
  Last Clearance: CLRD TO LAND RUNWAY 19R
  FAA FSDO: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  (SW15)             Entry date: 09/25/2003

FMI: www.united.com; www.faa.gov; www.boeing.com