Airplane Landed Nose Low, Collapsing Nose Landing Gear

The pilot of a Southwest 737 that suffered a collapsed nose gear on landing at LaGuardia last month was concerned about landing long, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the source said the pilot may have reduced power back to idle too early in an effort to make the runway, which may have led to the nose-low attitude on landing. According to the NTSB's preliminary report, the Captain took control of the aircraft in the final phases of the approach. The nose of the airplane pitched down in the final four seconds, causing the nose gear to bear the brunt of the landing. It penetrated the equipment bay which holds communications and other electronic equipment.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, the NTSB is focusing on the captain's interaction with the first officer during the final 100 feet of the approach, and her decision to take command of the aircraft at that late stage.

The paper reports that the captain had only landed once at LaGuardia prior to the accident flight.

The crew was making a visual approach. Both the captain and first officer have filed confidential reports with the airline, but those reports are not made available to federal regulators or safety organizations. One of the questions to be answered is why the captain chose to continue the landing rather than go around.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov