What happened
On the scheduled flight from Moncton, New Brunswick, to Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, an Air Canada Jazz regional jet carrying 37 passengers and 3 crew members experienced a significant landing incident. During the arrival at 1235 eastern daylight time, the aircraft touched down on Runway 06R amidst a 90-degree crosswind from the left, with gusts ranging between 13 and 23 knots.
The initial contact with the runway occurred in a left-wing-down sideslip position. This resulted in the left main landing gear hitting the pavement first, subjecting the structure to a heavy lateral side load. Following this impact, the aircraft bounced into the air. During the subsequent touchdown, the deployment of both flight and ground spoilers contributed to a hard landing. This impact caused the failure of both main landing gear trunnion fittings, leading to a total collapse of the landing gear.
Despite the collapse, the aircraft stayed upright, held by the gear struts and wheels. The plane slid along the runway before exiting onto a taxiway. While there was no fire during the event, the hard impact resulted in minor injuries for some passengers, though the crew remained uninjured.
Findings
- The aircraft encountered significant lateral forces due to a heavy crosswind during touchdown.
- Failure of the main landing gear trunnion fittings caused the gear to collapse after a hard landing following a bounce.