What happened
On 10 January 2018, a Bombardier DHC-8-402, registration SP-EQG, operated by LOT Polish Airlines, departed from Kraków (EPKK) bound for Warsaw Chopin Airport (EPWA). The flight was carrying 59 passengers and 4 crew members.
Following takeoff, the flight crew attempted to retract the landing gear. While the main landing gear successfully retracted and locked, the nose landing gear (NLG) failed to move into the up-locked position. This failure triggered several cockpit warnings, including the 'N DOOR' amber light and a red 'NOSE' light, indicating the gear was in transit. The captain elected to continue the flight to Warsaw, declaring an emergency. During the flight, the crew noted additional noise caused by airflow around the open nose gear door.
Upon approaching Warsaw, the crew attempted to extend the landing gear using the aircraft's alternate system. Although the main landing gear locked into place, the nose landing gear remained in the transit position. To mitigate the impact, the pilot maintained a high angle of attack during the landing roll on runway 11 to delay nose contact with the pavement. However, as the aircraft slowed, the nose gear eventually folded, causing the lower nose area of the fuselage to make direct contact with the runway. The aircraft came to a stop, and all 59 passengers and 4 crew members were evacuated without injury.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation examined the mechanical state of the nose landing gear, the maintenance history of the aircraft, and the flight crew's response to the failure. The investigation reviewed flight data, cockpit voice recordings, and the aircraft's maintenance records, including the 30,000-cycle/14-year time between overhaul (TBO) for the NLG system. The commission also looked into the operator's Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) procedures and previous ground incidents involving the aircraft.