What happened
On September 26, 2009, a Boeing 757-200, registration RA-73016, was performing a takeoff roll from Runway 31 at Rimini Airport, bound for Moscow Domodedovo. During the takeoff roll, before reaching $V_1$ speed, the aircraft's right nose gear struck a recessed runway centerline light.
The impact dislodged the metallic housing of the light from its pavement socket. The housing was propelled upward, striking the lower fuselage of the aircraft and causing a perforation. The impact also resulted in a slashed right nose gear tire and damage to two structural frames. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff due to an unusual noise and smoke entering the cockpit. The aircraft returned to the apron for technical inspections.
There were 227 people on board, including 2 and 220 passengers, and no fatalities or injuries were reported.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation focused on the physical state of the dislodged light and the installation method used at the airport. Examination of the recovered light (serial number 2273) revealed that the sealant/epoxy resin used to secure the light was only present in an annular ring at the bottom of the base, in direct contact with the ground. There was no evidence of sealant on the lateral surfaces of the light.
Furthermore, the cylindrical socket in the runway pavement remained intact with sharp edges. This indicated that the light had not been installed using the standard "low base" procedure, which requires the light to be embedded in epoxy resin to ensure a secure bond across the entire surface of the base. The investigation also noted that routine maintenance inspections, which included visual checks of the lights, were not designed to detect such an internal installation defect, as verifying the stability of the base would require destructive testing.
Findings
- The primary cause of the event was the incorrect installation of a recessed runway centerline light.
- The light was not properly embedded in sealant, leaving the lateral surfaces unbonded to the pavement.
- Repeated mechanical stress from passing aircraft tires caused the light to suddenly detach from its housing during the takeoff roll.
- The existing maintenance protocols for visual aids were insufficient to identify this specific installation flaw.