What happened
On 29 August 2003, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registration G-DPSP, arrived at Manchester Airport from Lanzarote. During the approach, air traffic control notified the crew that debris had been identified on the runway. Following the landing and the disembarkation of the 377 passengers and 13 crew members, ground engineers inspected the aircraft and identified damage to the underside of the wing near the right main landing gear, including a hole in a honeycomb access panel. Furthermore, it was discovered that the No 8 main wheel tyre had lost its tread, although the tyre remained inflated. There were no injuries resulting from this incident.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft and the failed tyre, which was sent to the manufacturer for detailed analysis. The examination of the tyre revealed that the tread had largely detached and that the outer casing of one sidewall had separated, with visible separation between the casing plies. Additionally, the inner liner was found to be wrinkled, and a needle test confirmed a leak in the inner liner. The investigation also looked into the condition of the tyre, noting it was at its fourth retread (R04) at the time of the failure. While shearography of the tread from the most recent retread showed no abnormalities, a full bead-to-bead inspection was not scheduled until the end of the current R04 life cycle.
Findings
- The manufacturer determined that the failure originated from an inner liner leak caused by either over-deflection or premature fatigue.
- This leak allowed nitrogen to enter the casing at a rate exceeding the venting capacity.
- The resulting internal pressure buildup led to or exacerbated the separation of the casing plies.
- Once the separation reached a critical size, the physical forces acting on the tyre caused the tread to detach from the carcass.