What happened
On May 20, 2009, an Embraer ERJ-170 operated by PLL LOT was taxiing for departure at Frankfurt Airport (EDDF). Following pushback and the commencement of normal taxi procedures, the crew was alerted by the crew of a following aircraft that smoke was emanating from the area of the right landing gear. At that time, the flight crew had received no indications of brake binding or any other malfunctions.
The aircraft was brought to a halt, and a marshaller was requested to assist with the inspection. Upon attempting to resume taxiing along the main taxiway, the crew was again warned of smoke appearing from the right landing gear wheels. The aircraft was stopped a second time, and air traffic control summoned the airport fire services. Due to the nature of the incident, passengers were evacuated from the aircraft onto the taxiway.
The investigation
Technical personnel conducted an inspection of the right main landing gear. The examination revealed damage to the disc of the right external brake assembly. Further detailed inspections of the landing gear assembly identified damage to the brake discs in the second, first, and third assemblies, all of which required replacement.
Because the operator's retention policy for investigation reports is limited to five years, the PKBWL was unable to access the specific findings or the internal investigation results conducted by the operator. Consequently, the commission concluded the investigation without being able to establish a definitive cause.