A DC8-72 FREIGHTER STRIKES ITS #3 AND #4 ENGS ON THE RWY DURING A NIGHT LNDG WITH GUSTY XWIND CONDITIONS AT ATL; GA.

Date: 2000-01 · Aircraft: DC-8 70

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|conflict-ground-conflict|critical|ground-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

A DC8-72 FREIGHTER STRIKES ITS #3 AND #4 ENGS ON THE RWY DURING A NIGHT LNDG WITH GUSTY XWIND CONDITIONS AT ATL; GA.

Narrative

WE HAD NOTICED DURING PREFLT ANALYSIS OF THE DEP PAPERS THE STRONG WINDS IN ATLANTA. WE MONITORED THE ATLANTA ATIS ON OUR ACARS ENRTE. THE ACARS ATIS WAS RPTING WINDS 300 DEGS AT 16 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS. THE SO CHKED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE IN XWIND LIMITS LNDG TO THE W. ATIS WAS CALLING FOR LNDG ON RWY 26R. I BRIEFED A VISUAL APCH BACKED UP BY THE ILS FOR RWY 26 AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A WIND ADDITIVE TO THE BUG SPD BECAUSE OF THE GUSTY WINDS. THE DSCNT WAS UNEVENTFUL. APPROX 30 MI FROM THE FIELD; APCH CTL ADVISED US THAT RWY 26R WAS CLOSED DUE TO A B727 HAVING BLOWN THEIR TIRES DURING LNDG. I BRIEFED THE CHANGE TO RWY 26L AT ATL AND CONTINUED THE APCH. AFTER TURNING ONTO FINAL AND CONTACTING TWR; THE WINDS WERE RPTED BY ATL TWR TO BE 300 DEGS AT 21 KTS GUSTING TO 29 KTS. WE ENCOUNTERED CONSIDERABLE TURB FROM 200 FT TO 50 FT; AT WHICH POINT THE ACFT WAS STABLE FOR THE LNDG PHASE. THE XWIND CTLS WERE PUT IN EARLY BY ME SO THAT I WOULD KNOW WHAT PICTURE I NEEDED DURING LNDG -- THE CTLS BEING L RUDDER AND R WING DOWN FOR A R XWIND. WE TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROX 147 KTS. AT TOUCHDOWN I APPLIED R AILERON (R WING SLIGHTLY DOWN) TO COMPENSATE FOR THE XWIND. THE AIRPLANE BANKED TO THE R SHARPLY; AS I BEGAN TO COUNTER WITH A BANK TO THE L; I SAW THE CAPT COME ON THE CTLS WITH ME. AFTER THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO A STABILIZED BANK I TOLD THE CAPT 'YOU HAVE THE AIRPLANE' AND I RELEASED THE YOKE AND THROTTLES. HE THEN REPLIED 'I HAVE THE AIRPLANE.' AT THAT TIME THE SO STATES 'NEGATIVE SPOILERS.' I WAS ABOUT TO REACH FOR THE SPOILERS WHEN THE CAPT GRABBED THE SPOILERS HANDLES; PULLED THE HANDLE UP TO ARM THEM; AND THEN PULLED THE HANDLE BACK TO DEPLOY THEM. AS THE AIRPLANE SLOWED; I MADE THE NECESSARY CALLS FOR AIRSPD (80 KTS AND 60 KTS) AND WE SLOWED TO TAXI SPD. THE SO STATED THAT THE #4 GENERATOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. WE THEN REALIZED WE MAY HAVE STRUCK THE #4 ENG AND NOTIFIED TWR FOR POSSIBLE FOD ON THE RWY. WE TAXIED THE ACFT AND RAN THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST FOR THE TERMINATION OF THE FLT. I BELIEVE THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY THE GUSTY WINDS; AND THE FAILURE OF THE SPOILERS TO DEPLOY DURING LNDG. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 461453: A FIRM LNDG WAS MADE; BUT A GUST BLEW THE R WING DOWN. A POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT WE HAD DAMAGED BOTH ENGS ON THE R WING.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.