What happened
During a flight originating from Naples-Capodichino Airport, the flight crew began their descent toward Moscow. While performing the approach checklist and preparing the aircraft type for landing on Runway 09 at Vnukovo Airport, the crew identified a critical mechanical issue. Although the nose gear had deployed correctly, both main landing gears remained retracted within the wheel well.
In response to the malfunction, the crew aborted the initial approach and executed a go-around. While operating in a holding pattern, the crew attempted to diagnose the issue and tried to manually deploy the main landing gear components, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
Ultimately, the decision was made to proceed with the landing in the current configuration. The aircraft touched down on Runway 01 with the nose gear extended but the main gear still retracted. Upon impact, the aircraft slid for several dozen meters before coming to a stop. While all 11 occupants were able to evacuate the aircraft without injury, the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
- The primary issue was the failure of the main landing gear to extend despite manual intervention attempts.