What happened
On February 13, 2016, an Embraer ERJ-175 operated by PLL LOT SA experienced a technical malfunction during the initial climb phase following takeoff. The crew found that the landing gear could not be retracted as requested. Due to this issue, the crew decided to abort the climb and return to the departure airport, while simultaneously attempting to troubleshoot the malfunction.
The aircraft was vectored for an ILS approach to runway 11, positioned with the wind. Approximately 10 nautical miles from the airport, the crew reported that the malfunction had been resolved and expressed their intention to continue the flight to the original destination. The remainder of the flight proceeded without further incident.
The investigation
The investigation established that the malfunction was transient in nature. During the troubleshooting process, no messages appeared on the Crew Alerting System (CAS). Consequently, the crew utilized the landing gear lever release button, which successfully released the gear after a subsequent attempt, without the need for further corrective actions.
An analysis of the flight parameter data revealed no operational irregularities. However, the investigation noted that the crew failed to file an Air Safety Report (ASR), which constituted a deviation from the operator's established procedures.
Findings
- The most probable cause of the incident was a temporary failure of the electronic landing gear lever lock system due to undetermined reasons.
- The crew successfully resolved the issue using the landing gear lever release mechanism.
- The operator's safety management system recorded the event, and it was included in the airline's safety performance indicators (SPI).