What happened
During the final approach phase of flight, the flightcrew attempted to extend the landing gear. However, the nose gear indicator red light remained illuminated, and the nose landing gear indicator pin failed to extend. Following a low approach, ground personnel observed that the nose gear doors were partially open.
The crew subsequently executed an emergency landing with the nose landing gear in the retracted position. After the aircraft came to a complete stop, passengers deplaned through the aft door exit. There were no injuries reported during the event.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that the nose landing gear spray deflector had fractured near its middle into two separate sections. The right section of the spray deflector had rotated approximately 180 degrees and was found wedged between the nose landing gear and the right side of the wheel-well structure. The nose landing gear tire was positioned above this wedged section.
The left section of the spray deflector remained in its original forward position with the nose landing gear retracted. Investigators noted yellow paint transfer on the right upper surface (aft corner) of the spray deflector, and similar marks were found on the left bottom surface (forward corner). Yellow paint chips were also embedded under a screw head at that location. The distance between these two yellow paint marks was approximately 29 inches.
The tow operator involved in the pushback prior to takeoff reported that the tow bar became disconnected during the towing process, though he did not observe any immediate damage to the aircraft. The tow bar was painted yellow and had a fork distance of approximately 30 inches.