What happened
On April 8, 2021, at approximately 07:04 UTC, an Airbus A300-B4-203, registration YV562T, operated by Transcarga Intl Airways, experienced a landing gear malfunction during its final approach to Maiquetia International Airport (SVMI). While the flight was transitioning from its route from Bogota to the landing phase, the crew attempted to extend the landing gear, but the gear failed to deploy via the standard hydraulic command.
After several unsuccessful attempts to extend the gear through normal systems, the crew coordinated with Air Traffic Control to maneuver north of the station to perform necessary checklists. The crew subsequently executed the manual gravity extension procedure as specified in the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH). Following the successful deployment of the gear via gravity, the crew notified the tower that while the gear was locked, they would be unable to operate the Nose Wheel Steering system, a known consequence of the manual procedure.
The aircraft landed normally on runway 10/28. However, due to the inoperable nose wheel steering, the aircraft came to a stop at the end of the runway and had to be towed to a remote parking stand at Maiquetia. There were no injuries among the six occupants, and the aircraft sustained no damage.
The investigation
The JIAAC investigation involved reviewing crew licenses, medical certificates, and flight logs, as well as examining the maintenance records of the operator's maintenance organization (OMAC). Investigators performed a physical inspection of the aircraft, including photographic and video evidence of the landing gear extension and retraction systems. Specifically, technicians inspected the 3GA landing gear solenoid valve following procedures outlined in the aircraft maintenance manual to identify the source of the electrical failure.