What happened
On January 28, 2019, a Boeing 727-2B6 operated by Kalitta Charters II, LLC landed with its nose gear retracted on runway 4 at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL) in Alabama. The flight, operating as a cargo service from Laredo International Airport (LRD), arrived during night visual meteorological conditions with winds from 200 degrees at 4 knots.
During the final approach, the captain requested flaps 15 and the extension of the landing gear. Following the gear selection, the crew observed a red warning light indicating the nose gear was not in the down-and-locked position, accompanied by an audible gear warning horn. The flight engineer recommended recycling the gear, and the first officer suggested performing a go-around to troubleshoot the indication; however, the captain declined both suggestions.
The captain continued the approach, during which the cockpit voice recorder captured multiple automated "sink rate, pull up" warnings. The captain did not perform any abnormal checklists for the gear indication. Upon landing, the forward fuselage contacted the runway during derotation. The aircraft slid to a stop with the nose gear still retracted, leaving approximately 458 feet of runway remaining. There were no injuries to the three flight crew members and one mechanic on board.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft, registration N720CK, and found substantial damage to the skin and stringers near the nose gear well, as well as damage to the forward pressure bulkhead. The nose gear assembly required replacement.
Analysis of the aircraft's operations manual revealed that simultaneous operation of the landing gear and flaps while engines are at or near idle RPM can cause insufficient hydraulic pressure to maintain the necessary 2800-3100 psi. This condition may prevent the nose gear transfer cylinder from operating properly, leading to unreliable gear extension. Records showed that a different crew operating the same aircraft two days prior had experienced a similar nose gear indication issue under similar power and flap configurations.