Incident Summary
The flight crew of a Boeing 727 encountered an inability to extend the nose landing gear using both the normal hydraulic system and the manual hand crank. The malfunction prevented the gear from deploying to its down-and-locked position.
Emergency Landing and Evacuation
After exhausting available gear extension procedures, the crew executed a landing with the nose gear retracted. Following the landing, an emergency evacuation was conducted through the L1 and R1 exits.
Post-Incident Investigation
Examination of the aircraft after the incident revealed that both links responsible for removing the locking pawls in the nose gear drag brace were fractured. Subsequent metallurgical analysis at the Boeing Metallurgical Laboratory found no evidence that bushings had been installed at the attachment points of these links.