On July 29, 1984, a DE Havilland DHC-7-100 (registration N9058P) was involved in an aviation accident near Denver, CO. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During takeoff, the left main landing gear and shock strut separated from a ferry aircraft. The pilot performed an emergency landing without the left main gear wheels. Investigation found misleading assembly procedures in the maintenance manual.
Incident Overview
Company maintenance personnel had disassembled and reassembled the left main landing gear of the aircraft. The aircraft was being ferried to another base for permanent landing gear repairs. During the takeoff phase of the ferry flight, the left main landing gear and its associated shock strut separated from the aircraft. The pilot performed an emergency landing without the left main gear wheels.
Investigation
An examination of the separated landing gear revealed that the upper bearing halves and the piston damping ring had been installed in accordance with the maintenance manual. However, a review of the maintenance manual disclosed that the assembly procedures for the landing gear were misleading.
Corrective Measures
Following the review, the manufacturer issued a temporary revision to the maintenance manual to address the misleading landing gear assembly procedures.
