What happened
The investigation examined two distinct events involving an Airbus A320-214. The first occurred on July 10, 2021, at Heraklion Airport, Greece, where the aircraft performed a rejected takeoff (RTO) just below V1 speed. During this maneuver, the aircraft drifted toward the runway edge due to a right rudder pedal input, resulting in a dynamic rotation and subsequent de-rotation of the nose gear upon re-contact with the runway.
Following the RTO, the aircraft was returned to service after maintenance personnel replaced the four main landing gear tires. However, the crew did not report the high lateral accelerations or the specific dynamics of the nose gear impact to the maintenance team.
On July 11, 2021, the aircraft operated a flight to Kavala Airport, Greece. During the landing phase, the nose landing gear shock absorber failed to extend fully. The combination of a high de-rotation rate during touchdown and the lack of damping caused significant structural damage to the forward fuselage area. There were no injuries to the crew, but the aircraft sustained heavy damage.
The investigation
The BFU examined the sequence of events starting from the RTO in Heraklion through to the landing in Kavala. The investigation included a technical analysis of the nose landing gear shock absorber by the manufacturer, an evaluation of the aircraft's Centralized Fault Display System (CFDS) data, and a review of the flight data recorder (FDR) parameters, specifically focusing on pitch-down rates and lateral accelerations. The investigators also reviewed maintenance practices, the communication between the flight crew and ground engineers, and the adequacy of the airline's operational procedures regarding high-load events.
Findings
- The primary cause of the structural damage was the loss of pressure in the nose landing gear shock absorber, which prevented proper damping during landing.
- The initial damage to the shock absorber piston occurred during the rejected takeoff in Heraklion, caused by a high de-rotation rate.
- The crack in the piston expanded during subsequent flight cycles due to operational loads, leading to the eventual pressure loss.
- Maintenance personnel in Heraklion were unaware of the severity of the event because the crew did not report the high lateral loads or the dynamic nose gear movement.
- The maintenance inspection following the RTO failed to identify damage to the nose gear shock absorber or the lateral damage to the tire sidewalls.
- The airline's procedures at the time did not sufficiently emphasize the necessity of reporting subjective pilot impressions of high-load ground movements.