What happened
On January 29, 2008, at 19:30 UTC, a Tupolev Tu-154, registration LZ-BTZ, operated by Bulgarian Airlines, was performing a presidential flight destined for Kindley, Bermuda. The aircraft had made a technical stop at Lajes Airport (LPLA) in the Azores.
Shortly after departing from Lajes, the flight crew observed that the nose landing gear failed to retract. In accordance with the aircraft's operating manual, the crew performed the recommended troubleshooting procedures; however, these actions did not resolve the issue. Due to the mechanical malfunction, the crew decided to abort the flight and return to Lajes Airport.
After consuming a portion of the onboard fuel, the aircraft successfully returned to and landed at Lajes Airport at 22:32 UTC. There were no injuries to the crew and no damage was sustained by the aircraft during the landing.
The investigation
The GPIAAF noted that the incident was classified as a technical occurrence. Following the event, the available information was forwarded to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Bulgaria. The GPIAAF offered its assistance for further collaboration, but no formal investigation was opened by the Portuguese authority as no further information or requests for assistance were received.