What happened
On a flight from Moncton, New Brunswick, to Toronto, an Air Canada Jazz Bombardier CL-600-2B19 (registration C-FRIL) experienced a significant landing gear failure upon arrival at Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport. During the approach to Runway 06R, which featured a 90-degree crosswind with gusts up to 23 knots, the aircraft experienced a bounced landing.
During the initial touchdown, the aircraft was in a left-wing-down sideslip, causing the left main gear to strike the runway first. The aircraft then bounced to a height of approximately 10 feet. As the pilot attempted to salvage the landing by reducing thrust to idle, the ground lift dump (GLD) system activated the spoilers. This caused a rapid increase in the sink rate to 20 feet per second, far exceeding the certification standard. The resulting force caused the trunnion fittings of both main landing gear to fail, leading to a gear collapse. The aircraft slid down the runway and exited via a taxiway. While there were no fatalities, some passengers sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight crew's actions, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the deployment of the GLD system. Investigators found that the captain had been distracted by taking photographs of a previous accident site during the approach, which reduced supervision of the first officer.
Technical analysis of the landing gear revealed that the shock struts had been improperly serviced during a 2002 overhaul, resulting in a lack of hydraulic fluid that reduced the struts' ability to dissipate energy. Furthermore, the investigation examined the crew's adherence to standard operating procedures regarding autopilot disengagement and thrust lever reduction. It was noted that at the time of the accident, the aircraft's manuals did not provide specific instructions for recovering from a bounced landing, leading the crew to attempt to continue the landing rather than executing a go-around.
Findings
- The captain's attention was divided due to non-operational photography, leaving the less experienced first officer without adequate supervision during the critical landing phase.
- The first officer failed to follow standard procedures for autopilot disengagement and thrust reduction, which increased the aircraft's susceptibility to a bounce.
- The lack of specific training or manual instructions regarding bounced landing recovery led the crew to attempt to salvage the landing instead of performing a rejected landing.
- The activation of the GLD system following the bounce created a sink rate that caused the structural failure of the landing gear trunnion fittings.
- Inadequate quality control at a maintenance facility allowed improperly serviced shock struts to remain in service, contributing to the bounce.