A B777-300 ON TKOF AT V1 SPD THE L LNDG GEAR STRUCK A SMALL PATCH OF SLUSH INCURRING DAMAGE TO THE LNDG GEAR. DECLARED EMER AND DIVERTED TO ANOTHER ARPT.

Date: 2002-01 · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|ground-event-encounter-other-unknown

Synopsis

A B777-300 ON TKOF AT V1 SPD THE L LNDG GEAR STRUCK A SMALL PATCH OF SLUSH INCURRING DAMAGE TO THE LNDG GEAR. DECLARED EMER AND DIVERTED TO ANOTHER ARPT.

Narrative

12 INCH SNOWFALL DURING THE NIGHT. WHEN I ARRIVED IN OPS I CALLED THE DISPATCHER AND ASKED ABOUT RWY CONDITIONS AND THE NEED FOR A CONTAMINATED RWY TPS (TKOF PERFORMANCE SHEET). HE SAID THE RWY WAS GOOD AND HE WOULD WORK UP ONE AND HAVE IT STANDING BY. HE SAID HE HAD WORKED ONE FOR FLT Y AND THEY DID NOT NEED IT. WHEN WE ARRIVED RWY 32L; THE RWY LOOKED GOOD. I COULD SEE BARE PAVEMENT AND CTRLINE PAINT DOWN THE RWY. THERE WAS SOME PACKED SNOW ON THE EDGES. TKOF WAS NORMAL UNTIL ABOUT V1 WHEN WE HIT A SMALL PATCH OF SLUSH AT T10. I BELIEVE THE SLUSH WAS CAUSED BY EXHAUST FROM DEPARTING ACFT AT T10. I NOTICED A SLIGHT YAW AND CHKED THE ENG INSTS. THEY APPEARED NORMAL SO I ELECTED TO CONTINUE RATHER THAN ATTEMPT A HIGH SPD ABORT NEAR V1 NOT KNOWING THE CONDITION OF THE RWY ON ROLLOUT. AT 400 FT THE INHIBITS WERE REMOVED AND GOT AN EICAS FOR ANTI-SKID AND AUTO-SPD BRAKE. WE COMPLETED THE CHKLISTS AND I DECIDED TO LOOK INTO THIS AFTER WE CLRED ORD AIRSPACE. 30 MINS AFTER TKOF WE GOT STATUS PROMPT AND FOUND WE HAD PROBS WITH ANTI-SKID BRAKE TEMPS; TIRE PRESSURE; MAIN GEAR STEERING; GEAR INDICATING SYS; AND L HYD DEMAND PUMP. I SENT A MESSAGE TO DISPATCH AND HE RESPONDED ALONG WITH TECHNICIAN. IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE SLASH GUARD AND WIRING BUNDLES MUST HAVE BEEN DAMAGED. THE BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE ACFT WAS ZZZ. TOLD THE PAX ABOUT OUR PROB AND THE REASON FOR THE DIVERT AND THE REASON FOR FUEL DUMPING TO PUT THEM AT EASE. WE DECLARED AN EMER AND ASKED FOR THE CFR TO STAND BY. WE THEN COORDINATED WITH ZKC TO DUMP FUEL. WE DUMPED ABOUT 100000 LBS TO GET TO OUR PLANNED LNDG WT OF 410000 LBS. I DECIDED THIS WAS A GOOD WT FOR LNDG WITH A POSSIBLE DAMAGED GEAR AND ALSO LEFT US WITH ABOUT 3 HRS FUEL IF WE NEEDED TO GO OUT FOR MORE TROUBLESHOOTING. I CHOSE RWY THAT WAS VERY LONG AND IT WAS MY RWY OF INTENDED LNDG. WE WOULD FIRST DO A FLYBY SO MAINT COULD LOOK AT THE GEAR TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS ANY APPARENT DAMAGE. I PUT THE GEAR DOWN ON DOWNWIND TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A GOOD INDICATION. WE DID AND I HAD THE FO PUSH THE FLAP OVERRIDE AS I PLANNED TO DO THE FLYBY WITH FLAP 20 DEGS. AFTER THE FLYBY MAINT SAID THEY SAW NO APPARENT DAMAGE. SO ON THE GAR WE RESET THE FLAP OVERRIDE AND PLANNED FLAPS 30 DEG LNDG. THE LNDG WAS SOFT AND I MANUALLY DEPLOYED THE SPOILERS AND USED ABOVE NORMAL REVERSE UNTIL 80 KTS THEN USED LIGHT BRAKING UNTIL TAXI SPD. I TURNED OFF AT TXWY CLRING THE RWY AND PARKED THE BRAKES. CFR AND MAINT THEN INSPECTED THE ACFT AND APPROVED THE TAXI TO THE TERMINAL. THE SPLASH GUARD AND WIRING BUNDLES WERE IN FACT DAMAGED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE DAMAGE TO THE L MAIN GEAR WAS SERIOUS AS THE 'J' PACK OR ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX SHIELD WAS TORN OFF SEVERING CABLES AND WIRING FOR ANTI-SKID; AUTO-SPOILERS; BRAKE TEMP; AFT WHEEL STEERING AND AUTO-BRAKES SYS. THE RPTR SAID #10 TIRE SIDEWALL WAS SLASHED AND CUT BY THE DEPARTING JUNCTION BOX METAL SHIELD. THE RPTR STATED 2 OTHER B777 ACFT WERE DAMAGED BY THIS PATCH OF SLUSH AND WHEN THE SLUSH WAS INVESTIGATED NEAR OR AT THE T10 AREA SHREDDED JUNCTION BOX SHIELDS WERE FOUND AND 1 MD80 NOSE GEAR SPLASH DEFLECTOR WAS DISCOVERED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 536876 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR STRUCK THE PATCH OF SLUSH AT OR VERY NEAR V1 SPD AND DAMAGED SEVERAL SYS ON THE L MAIN LNDG GEAR. THE RPTR SAID IT WAS OBVIOUS WHEN THE STATUS PAGE WAS READ THE AIRPLANE COULD NOT CONTINUE WITH THE NUMBER OF CRITICAL SYS DAMAGED. THE RPTR STATED VISUAL CHK OF THE GEAR REVEALED RIPPED AND TORN WIRING AND CABLES WRAPPED AROUND GEAR COMPONENTS; SMASHED JUNCTION BOX AND CONNECTORS; AND 1 TIRE SIDEWALL SLASHED.

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