AN IAI1124 WESTWIND DEPARTED WITH A LOW LNDG GEAR STRUT THAT FAILED IN FLT. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY DURING LNDG BECAUSE OF STRUT DRAG.

Date: 2008-08 · Aircraft: IAI1124/1124A Westwind · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-excursion-runway

Synopsis

AN IAI1124 WESTWIND DEPARTED WITH A LOW LNDG GEAR STRUT THAT FAILED IN FLT. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY DURING LNDG BECAUSE OF STRUT DRAG.

Narrative

ACFT WAS NOTED TO HAVE A LOW STRUT UPON REACHING ZZZ. WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO MAINT FACILITIES AT OR AVAILABLE AT ZZZ. WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE HAD THE LOW STRUT SVCED. THE PAX WE WERE PICKING UP HAD JUST SUFFERED A PERSONAL LOSS AND WE WERE TRYING TO GET TO OUR DEST WITHOUT DELAY. PIC AND I WEIGHED ALL THE ALTERNATIVES AND AGREED SINCE OUR DEST HAD MAINT; WE WOULD FLY THE NEXT LEG AND THEN HAVE THE STRUT SVCED. UPON LNDG AT DEST IN CLR; CALM CONDITIONS; THE ACFT PULLED INTO THE LOW STRUT INCREASINGLY AS WE SLOWED. DECELERATING THROUGH ABOUT 30 KTS; OPPOSITE TILLER STEERING; FULL R BRAKE; AND NEAR FULL THRUST REVERSE ON THE R SIDE FAILED TO PREVENT THE AIRPLANE FROM PULLING L. SEEING THAT OUR CURRENT PATH WOULD HAVE CAUSED US TO COLLIDE WITH A LARGE RWY SIGN; I ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO GO FURTHER L INTO THE GRASS; THUS AVOIDING ALL OBSTACLES. ACFT WAS SECURED AS A SAFETY MEASURE BRIEFLY; THEN TAXIED OUT OF THE GRASS. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ANY GND FACILITIES. APPARENTLY; THE LOW STRUT HAD GONE COMPLETELY FLAT DURING THE LAST LEG. ENDING THIS AIRPLANE AT ZZZ WOULD HAVE BEEN INCONVENIENT AND VERY EXPENSIVE. OBVIOUSLY; THIS WOULD HAVE PALED IN COMPARISON TO AN ACCIDENT. I WILL BE MORE OBJECTIVE WHEN EVALUATING AN AIRPLANE DURING PREFLT AND NOT LET OUTSIDE CONCERNS AFFECT MY DECISIONS.

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