Incident Overview
Following takeoff, the flight crew raised the landing gear handle, at which point the master caution light illuminated due to the loss of 'A' system hydraulics. In response, the captain declared an emergency. Preparations were made to land on runway 16L, which measures 12,004 feet in length and 150 feet in width.
Landing and Thrust Reverser Malfunction
The first officer conducted the landing using 15 degrees of flaps and a landing speed of 140 knots. Upon deploying the thrust reversers, the left thrust reverser malfunctioned, resulting in asymmetrical braking thrust. The airplane's operations manual specified that with the loss of 'A' hydraulic system and an airplane weight of 89,600 pounds, a landing speed of 156 knots should be used. Additionally, directional control during the landing roll would have been accomplished using rudder and differential braking, as nose wheel steering would have been inoperable under these conditions.
Captain's Actions and Post-Incident Observations
The captain reported to the FAA Inspector and Frontier Airlines officials that he took control of the airplane during the landing roll. Photographs taken at the incident scene indicated that after 8,000 feet of runway was used, the airplane's tire skid marks became significantly darker, with the right two skid marks darker than the left two.