What happened
During a flight crew base training session at Prestwick Airport, an Airbus A320-214, registration G-OZBY, experienced a rejected takeoff following a touch-and-go landing. While the crew was executing the takeoff, a configuration warning was triggered due to the speedbrake lever being inadvertently left in a position that did not command spoiler deployment. The commander initiated a rejected takeoff, during which the aircraft underwent a rapid derotation. This maneuver caused the nose landing gear to strike the runway with a high derotation rate, resulting in internal damage to the nosewheel oleo cylinder.
Following the initial stop, the crew decided to continue the training session. However, during the subsequent takeoff, a new issue emerged: an ECAM message indicated a landing gear shock absorber fault. This fault prevented the landing gear from being retracted and caused the loss of the autopilot, autothrust, and flight director functions. During the climb, the aircraft experienced an unexpected reduction in thrust, prompting the commander to take manual control to maintain altitude. The training session was subsequently cancelled, and the aircraft was diverted to Manchester Airport for maintenance.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the aircraft's flight data, cockpit voice recordings, and physical components. Inspection of the nose landing gear revealed that while there was no external visible damage, the oleo cylinder was unable to extend properly. The investigation established that the inner cylinder had become distorted, preventing it from moving freely under gas pressure. This mechanical restriction caused the proximity sensors to remain in the 'ground' position even after the aircraft became airborne, which triggered the shock absorber fault and inhibited the automation systems.
Findings
- The configuration warning was caused by the commander's movement of the speedbrake lever during the disarming process, which left the lever slightly out of its detent.
- The nose landing gear sustained damage due to a high derotation rate during the rejected takeoff, which caused the internal distortion of the oleo cylinder.
- The crew did not identify the nose gear touchdown as excessive, and no automated maintenance alerts were triggered by the landing intensity.
- The loss of autopilot and autothrust was a direct consequence of the proximity sensors failing to register the 'air' mode due to the restricted strut extension.
- The unexpected thrust reduction during the second takeoff was attributed to the crew selecting a thrust setting that interacted with a previously selected lower speed target.