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00:01Gear down.
00:03The pilots of Eagle Airways Flight 2300 can't lower the landing gear.
00:09That's not good.
00:10That is not good.
00:11When you see a pilot looking through a manual, you've got to think there's something seriously wrong here.
00:17We're going to have to land wheels up.
00:18Low on fuel, they have no choice but to attempt to land at New Zealand's Woodburn Airport.
00:24They were faced with a situation that was not resolvable.
00:28The wheels up landing is not an everyday occurrence.
00:32I did fear for my life.
00:36When investigators look into the cause of the failure, they uncover a widespread problem.
00:42What's that bring us to?
00:43Twelve developing cracks plus the two we already knew about.
00:46We had a significant systemic issue, not just within New Zealand but also worldwide.
01:12It's early morning at Timaru Airport on New Zealand's South Island.
01:17The pilots of Eagle Airways Flight 2300 are completing their pre-flight checks.
01:28Hi, good morning. Are you okay?
01:30Fifteen passengers board the plane ahead of a scheduled 7.10am departure.
01:35Among them is 50-year-old businessman Lyle Richards.
01:41I was a reasonably frequent flyer so I'd actually done that flight just the week before.
01:48Eagle Airways is a regional airline, a subsidiary of Air New Zealand.
01:55The main reason for Eagle Airways is to connect regional New Zealanders to the main centres.
02:05At the controls is 42-year-old Captain Miles Goumet.
02:09He's been with Eagle Airways for nearly 12 years.
02:15Cabin door closed.
02:19The 32-year-old first officer is the pilot monitoring today.
02:24He joined Eagle Airways last year.
02:28About that time.
02:32Ready when you are.
02:33Let's roll out.
02:36Eagle 3-0-0 is taxiing for departure to Wellington.
02:41At 7.10am, flight 2-3-0-0 makes its way to the runway.
02:46For us, it's just a standard public transport flight.
02:50Probably flew that route seven or eight hundred times.
02:56Air speed's alive.
02:58Eighty knots.
03:00The pilots are flying a Beechcraft 1900D.
03:04It's a low-wing, twin-engine turboprop airplane capable of carrying 19 passengers and a crew of two.
03:12The Beechcraft 1900D is a nice, stable aircraft to fly.
03:16Good utility aircraft. Good workhorse.
03:20Positive rate. Gear up. Gear up.
03:36It's a one-hour flight from Timaru to Wellington on New Zealand's North Island.
03:46Flight 2300 levels off at 21,000 feet.
03:50The passengers settle in for the short flight.
03:54I was flying up for work.
03:57I was manager of a barbecue factory.
04:00And we were opening in New Branch, just north of Wellington.
04:10Can you get me the ATIS for Wellington? I'm guarding Comm 1 while you're off.
04:15The pilots check on the weather in Wellington.
04:19Wellington Airport, winds 2-1-0 at 10. Visibility 20 reducing to 10 in rain showers. Sky conditions...
04:29We listened to the ATIS to have the most up-to-date weather prior to percent to get the runway
04:35conditions and weather for our planning for the arrival into Wellington.
04:43Wellington's not as windy as normal. Sounds wet, though, with a low cloud ceiling.
04:47Yeah.
04:48And Woodburn?
04:51Woodburn Airport, winds 2-6-0 at 8. Visibility 50. Sky conditions clear.
05:00Woodburn, on the other hand, looks very nice. Not a cloud in the sky.
05:04We're gonna have a cracking day at home for us when we get there.
05:11Ladies and gentlemen, we've begun our descent into the Wellington area.
05:14At this time, please ensure your seat belts are securely fastened, tray tables are stowed, and any carry-on items
05:20are placed under the seat in front of you.
05:25I was feeling great. I knew I had a fairly long three or four days ahead of me setting up
05:31this new branch, but I was looking forward to it.
05:34At 8.12am, the pilots begin their approach to Wellington Airport.
05:40Approaching intercept for ILS runway 1-6. Props 1550.
05:45Props set.
05:47Flap 17.
05:49Flap 17.
05:52Intercepting the glide slope. Gear down.
05:56Speed 170 knots. Gear down.
06:02The pilot's routine approach takes an unexpected turn.
06:09That's not good.
06:11That is not good.
06:14The plane's landing gear doesn't extend.
06:18Let's discontinue the approach.
06:21This problem I haven't seen before, and we weren't going to be descending on the approach to Wellington.
06:27Wellington Control, Eagle 300.
06:30Go ahead, Eagle 300.
06:33Wellington missed approach. Maintaining 3,000 feet. We've got a landing gear problem.
06:41Eagle 300, clear to maintain 3,000 feet. Fly heading 270.
06:47270, Eagle 300.
06:50For me it was get clear of the traffic and have a think about the problem.
06:56Cycle it back up, give it another go.
07:00The pilots troubleshoot the problem.
07:05Nothing.
07:08Let's clean it up.
07:09Flap's up.
07:11We tried to cycle the gear for the second time, which didn't work.
07:16So we needed to get out of the landing configuration, slick the flaps up, and then start looking into the
07:21problem further.
07:23Eagle 300 requests you climb to 6,000 feet on heading 270, over the cook straight and away from traffic.
07:34In the cabin, passengers get the first indication that something is wrong.
07:39It was just a normal flight.
07:41We were coming into land, but then all of a sudden it was just full power and we were heading
07:47back up into the sky.
07:51Flight 2300 ascends to a higher altitude where there's less traffic.
07:58Let's try it again.
08:03Landing gear down.
08:08Nothing.
08:09Okay, let's check the electrical system.
08:15At this point we were thinking that maybe it was an electrical problem.
08:22Okay.
08:24Landing gear.
08:25Relay circuit breaker.
08:29Hasn't popped.
08:32No breakers have popped.
08:33Electrical seemed fine.
08:35So then we realised that we weren't going to extend the gear normally.
08:40The pilots have another option.
08:42We're going to have to extend the gear manually.
08:46There's a handle beside the captain's right leg.
08:49Pull it out, pull it up.
08:51Pressurise system and you pump it up and down.
08:54And the gear should extend normally.
08:58We don't want to continue down into the weather in Wellington with this problem.
09:01Wellington has traffic, low cloud and showers.
09:04It's an ILS approach.
09:06Before attempting to manually extend the landing gear,
09:09the pilots consider diverting to a different airport.
09:13Woodburn is wide open.
09:15Clear skies and we can stay visual.
09:18Exactly. And our engineering base is there.
09:20We divert to Woodburn?
09:21Agree.
09:24Woodburn Control, we've got a landing gear issue.
09:27Requesting descent to Woodburn.
09:29We have to do a manual extension of the gear.
09:31Requesting a local standby.
09:35I'll let the passengers know what's going on.
09:38Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain.
09:40We've encountered an issue with the undercarriage of the aircraft.
09:43Our plan is to divert to Woodburn in the Blenheim area to hold.
09:46We plan to do a manual landing gear extension.
09:49We'll keep you updated, but we don't anticipate any problems.
09:54We sort of go, okay, there's a problem with the landing gear.
09:59Sort of, you know, I wonder how bad that's going to be.
10:04Flight 2300 descends into clear skies.
10:09Okay, let's try a manual landing gear extension.
10:12You have control.
10:15I have control.
10:17I have control.
10:18The captain reviews the procedure for a manual drop.
10:23I leaned into the aisle and looked into the cockpit,
10:27and I see the pilot was busy thumbing through what looked like a manual.
10:33When you see a pilot looking through a manual,
10:36you've got to think, hey, there's got to be something seriously wrong here.
10:41Landing gear control lever confirmed down.
10:46Alternative extension handle unstow and pump.
10:50Pump handle up and down until three green gear down enunciators are illuminated.
11:02Nothing.
11:06The backup system for the 1900D is supposedly a fail-safe system that will work.
11:14And it hasn't worked.
11:17So it's not good.
11:22Attempts to lower Flight 2300's landing gear using both the normal and manual systems have failed.
11:32Passengers might be wondering what's going on.
11:35All of a word.
11:37The public address system in the Beechcraft 1900D is not the best.
11:42It was easier to send the first officer into the cabin to talk with the passengers so they were fully
11:47informed.
11:47About everything we were doing and what was happening.
11:52Hey folks.
11:53We've got a bit of a problem with the landing gear that we're still trying to troubleshoot.
11:57Nothing to be alarmed about.
11:59But we're going to circle the area for a bit while we sort it out.
12:02We'll keep you posted.
12:05When I heard that I was thinking well we could be in real trouble here.
12:10I thought of my wife and my kids and then I started thinking about all the possible scenarios of what
12:17could happen.
12:21As the pilots continue trying to drop the landing gear they know they can only troubleshoot for so long.
12:28They're down to just over an hour's worth of fuel.
12:31Let's give air operations a call.
12:36Blend and base. Eagle 300.
12:39Eagle 300. This is AOC.
12:42We've got a problem with the landing gear.
12:45Have tried normal extension several times.
12:49Have tried manual extension.
12:51We're still getting nothing.
12:52Eagle 300. We'll get an engineer to help you right away.
12:58Because the weather was clear conditions we were able to set up a right hand pattern and talk to the
13:05Woodburn base engineers to troubleshoot the problem.
13:09After circling for 15 minutes flight 2300 gets an update from air operations.
13:17Eagle 300. Try isolating electrical power to the landing gear motor.
13:25Eagle 300.
13:30We've got nothing.
13:32Don't know why that's not working.
13:37At this point grass birch draws because there was no reason why the wheels shouldn't be extending but they weren't.
13:44They were just staying locked up.
13:47We've got to keep digging deeper.
13:49Try turning all the power off. Everything.
13:54If the pilots isolate all the electrical components and the landing gear extends, it will confirm that the problem is
14:02in the electrical system.
14:07But the outcome is no different.
14:10Those wheels should have come down by now.
14:12Still nothing.
14:13Nothing.
14:16At that point we were close to running out of options.
14:22Only 45 minutes of fuel left. We're going to have to land wheels up.
14:29Agreed.
14:30They're forced to attempt one of aviation's most challenging landings.
14:35Wheels up landing is not an everyday occurrence.
14:38They were faced with a situation that was not resolvable in flight.
14:43I have fire and ambulance ready. Thank you.
14:46Now the pilots update the Woodburn controller of their situation.
14:51Woodburn Tower, Eagle 300.
14:53We're still unable to lower our landing gear.
14:56Declare full emergency at Woodburn.
14:57Confirming your landing gear issue, Eagle 300, full emergency response has already been activated.
15:06Hey everyone.
15:08Unfortunately, we're unable to lower the landing gear.
15:11So we're going to have to land wheels up.
15:15Obviously the tension went right up.
15:17A crash landing is everybody's worst fear.
15:21Now the landing is going to be harder than usual and there's going to be quite a bit of noise.
15:25So make sure your seat belts are secure and that you're ready to take the brace position when I say.
15:32Take a close look at the safety card.
15:36Everybody simultaneously grabbed that information card that nobody ever reads.
15:42All of a sudden it becomes so important that we actually grabbed it and everybody read it.
15:47Ma'am, why don't we go ahead and move you, okay?
15:51The first officer moves a pregnant woman away from her seat alongside the emergency exit.
15:56Sir, are you good to open the emergency exit door when we land?
16:01Uh, yeah.
16:02Excellent, thank you.
16:13Once the plane has stopped, pull the red handle towards you and push the door out of the plane.
16:19Jump out and get as far from the plane as possible.
16:22The adrenaline level was really starting to get right up there.
16:28Follow this man out and that'll be that, okay?
16:32Okay, got it.
16:33Thank you. Thank you everyone.
16:38I did fear for my life, confronted with what was going to potentially happen.
16:46Okay.
16:48Let's review the procedure for gear up landing.
16:55Crew, brief for emergency landing responsibilities.
17:00Runway, land on longest runway possible.
17:04The key to a safe wheels up landing is timing.
17:12We want to burn our fuel, but we don't burn off too much fuel that we have an engine fire
17:18up.
17:20After 45 minutes of circling, the fuel light reaches the right level.
17:25Now's the turn.
17:29Woodburn Tower, Eagle 300.
17:32Please be advised, we need to make a wheels up landing.
17:36Roger, Eagle 300, you are clear to land runway 24.
17:41The crew prepares for an emergency landing.
17:46Let's get rid of everything electrical that we don't need.
17:51E5 screen power off on my side.
17:55Landing gear circuit breaker pole.
17:59They shut down all non-essential electrical systems to prevent a short circuit or potential fire.
18:05They also pull the landing gear circuit breaker to prevent an uncommanded gear deployment before or during touchdown.
18:14In the cabin, tensions run high.
18:19This was going to happen and it was happening now sort of thing.
18:22So, yeah, things were getting real.
18:28Woodburn Tower, Eagle 300.
18:30Are we clear to land?
18:32Clear to land runway 24.
18:33Emergency services are in place.
18:37Anything we missed?
18:41Nope.
18:42Okay then.
18:44Here we go.
18:48Now at just 500 feet, the pilots of flight 2300 line up with the runway.
18:54The only difference with this landing is we're going to be a bit lower when we touch down.
19:00Almost two hours after departure from Timaru, flight 2300 is made ready to land without its landing gear.
19:08So at this point, we're just both concentrating on our respective roles.
19:13Myself, flying the aircraft and first officer, pilot monitoring.
19:21Okay everyone, brace for landing now.
19:27As we were just about to touch down, you know, and I was looking out the window, I could see
19:32the grass getting closer and closer.
19:34It was dead quiet. You could hear a pin drop.
19:44Eagle Airways flight 2300 is seconds from landing at New Zealand's Woodburn Airport without the landing gear deployed.
19:56If the plane doesn't come in completely level, there's a risk a wing could hit the runway and break off.
20:24It was just this loud rumble screeching sound as we slid down the runway.
20:31It was just this loud rumble screeching sound as we slid down the runway.
20:32It seemed to slide for ages.
20:36Now the captain needs to bring the plane to a full stop to avoid sliding off the runway.
20:41If it goes into the grass, it can dig into the ground and cause the plane to flip.
20:57Nearly 15 seconds after the emergency landing, flight 2300 has come to a stop.
21:04When the aircraft came to a stop, I don't know what I was feeling, but we still had our jobs
21:09to do.
21:11I sat there and sort of looked around and thought, well, yes, we're right way up.
21:17There's no smoke, there's no fire, and all my limbs are still attached.
21:26Evacuate.
21:28But the passengers and crew aren't out of danger yet.
21:32The risk of fire means evacuation is urgent.
21:38I opened the hatch and threw the hatch outwards, and there was a loud noise and a swishing sound,
21:47which gave me a huge fright because I didn't know what it was.
21:51As it turned out, it was the fire brigade that sprayed the plane with foam.
21:59All 15 passengers and the pilots make it off safely.
22:05It really hit me once we got out of the aircraft and every fire engine, ambulance,
22:11and a number of police vehicles that were lined up down the side of the runway.
22:19When I got to the terminal, that's when the shock really set in for me.
22:24You know, I was shaking, but it was a huge relief that I managed to ring my wife and tell
22:31her that I was okay.
22:35A disaster has been averted, with all 17 people walking away unharmed.
22:43The Transport Accident Investigation Commission, or TAIC, leads the investigation into Flight 2300's landing gear failure.
22:54The first question, of course, was why. The aircraft had been in service with the operator for about five years
23:00at that stage.
23:01How could this happen? The aircraft had pretty good reliability up to then.
23:07What could have caused the landing gear to fail?
23:13That could have gone a lot worse.
23:15Got those reports. Let's take a look.
23:20Investigators review the plane's maintenance history.
23:25Yeah, looks like it was maintained on schedule.
23:27Hmm. It even had a maintenance review just six days before the accident.
23:34Something else gets their attention.
23:37There was a landing gear failure back in January.
23:41Three weeks later, a hydraulic fluid leak was found under the left wing.
23:46What happened here?
23:49The hydraulic fluid is the lifeblood of the landing gear system.
23:52And without it, you'd be unable to retract or extend the landing gear.
23:58The plane is lifted by crane and towed to a hangar for examination.
24:09Investigators check the hydraulic fluid reservoir.
24:12It's dry. There's no hydraulic fluid in the reservoir.
24:21On initial examination of the aircraft, we identified that the hydraulic reservoir was empty.
24:26So then that raised two questions.
24:28Where did it go? And why did it go?
24:32So when did it leak? Before or after takeoff?
24:38Investigators request photos from the tarmac at Timaru Airport, where Eagle Airways Flight 2300 was parked the night before departure.
24:47They're looking for signs of leaked hydraulic fluid needed for lowering the landing gear.
24:54With the beachcraft, the wheels are held up by hydraulic pressure, so unless you can release that pressure, they're staying
25:01up.
25:02There's no signs of fluid on the ground.
25:05That means the leak occurred in flight.
25:08Probably happened on gear attraction from Timaru's when we lost the hydraulic fluid from the system.
25:17But if the plane lost hydrogen in flight, wouldn't the pilots have received a warning?
25:21Well, they should have.
25:23The Beach 1900D has a system to warn the pilots if the hydraulic fluid reservoir is running low.
25:31If hydraulic fluid reaches a critically low level, a yellow warning light on the cockpit indicator panel would light up.
25:42Investigators meet with the captain to see if he had any indication that the hydraulic fluid was low.
25:48You flew into Timaru the night before.
25:51Any problems with the plane?
25:54No, nothing.
25:56What about your pre-flight checks morning of? Anything come up?
26:02No. Richie walked around the outside and we did the internal inspection.
26:08Everything was tip-top.
26:10How about the hydraulic fluid low enunciator system?
26:15As part of their pre-flight inspection, pilots check that the low hydraulic fluid warning system is operational.
26:22If it is working, the light turns on after a four-second delay.
26:27Checked out fine.
26:30Did the light ever come on after that?
26:34No.
26:36It stayed dark.
26:38We knew that the hydraulic reservoir was empty, and so the warning light should have illuminated, but it didn't.
26:47The captain said the low hydraulic fluid warning light was working before take-off.
26:54And had it been functioning properly, that would have helped the pilots understand why the landing gear didn't lower.
27:01We knew the gear wouldn't lower, and secondly, we knew that the reservoir was empty of fluid, so we needed
27:08to find out why that fluid had leaked from the system.
27:14Investigators search for the source of the leak that caused the failure of Flight 2300's landing gear.
27:27We're ready.
27:28They add a small amount of hydraulic fluid to the system, and use the manual lowering system to check for
27:35leaks.
27:44Okay, stop.
27:47We've got a leak in the right main landing gear.
27:51Looks like it's coming from the actuator.
27:54When pilots activate the plane's landing gear, hydraulic fluid is pushed from a reservoir to landing gear actuators that extend
28:03the gear to their down and locked position.
28:07In the course of the investigation and during testing, if you observe hydraulic fluid leaking from the actuator, you're getting
28:14closer to pinpointing the source of the leak.
28:20They examine the actuator to determine if it was defective.
28:27There's a crack in the end cap.
28:30To confirm our theory about the failed actuator, we replaced the actuator.
28:36And we then replenished the oil system, and completed several gear extensions and retractions, and this confirmed that the problem
28:45was with that failed actuator.
28:48The failed actuator is sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's lab in the United States for metallurgical examination.
28:57We did that because the Beech 1900 was manufactured in the United States as well as the actuator, and so
29:05they had access to both those organizations to support that examination.
29:11While they wait for the metallurgical results, the remainder of Eagle Airways fleet is checked for failed actuators.
29:19It was important that we identified whether this was a single isolated occurrence, or there was a wider systemic issue.
29:27No other cracks are found.
29:30Most likely, this was an isolated occurrence.
29:35But just three months after the failure of Flight 2300's landing gear, the crew of another Beechcraft 1900D observes a
29:44pooling of hydraulic fluid near the right main landing gear.
29:50That plane's actuator is removed, and a closer examination reveals a crack in the same location as Flight 2300.
29:59This now raised concerns about there being a systemic issue, and that the problem could actually be fleet-wide.
30:07While the latest cracked actuator is also sent for metallurgical testing, Eagle Airways performs a more rigorous test on its
30:14fleet.
30:15Ultrasonic testing is a method of non-destructively testing a component using high-frequency sound waves.
30:21These sound waves can penetrate the material and look for cracks that are at the surface and the subsurface of
30:27the material.
30:28The ultrasonic testing reveals a serious problem.
30:32Okay, thank you.
30:36That was another one.
30:39What's that bring us to?
30:41Twelve.
30:42Now, developing cracks, plus the two we already knew about.
30:46Fourteen cracked actuators.
30:48Cracks were all in the same location?
30:50Yeah. All actuator end caps.
30:53The identification of a further twelve possible failed actuators indicated we had quite a serious significant systemic issue across the
31:03fleet, not just within New Zealand, but also worldwide.
31:11Metallurgy testing results are in.
31:14What caused the actuators on two Eagle Airways planes to crack and leak hydraulic fluid?
31:21The actuators are subject to two independent metallurgy examinations, one by the NTSB and one by ourselves.
31:28Together we hope to identify the origin of these cracks and get a better understanding of how long it took
31:34to propagate the point of failure.
31:38Plate 2300's cracked actuator is on the left. The second one that was discovered three months later is on the
31:43right.
31:45The metallurgical testing reveals that the cracks formed at the inside corner of the actuator's end caps.
31:53These machining marks here and here, that's where most of the cracks in the actuators originated.
32:02These actuators appear to have been made from one single piece of metal.
32:06In order to shape that piece of metal into the end cap, there are tools that are used to get
32:11the shape that you want.
32:12These tools can leave behind tooling marks or sometimes referred to as machining marks.
32:18Machining marks on their own aren't a concern.
32:21But investigators discover something else about the actuator end caps.
32:26It looks like the inside of the end caps were anodised.
32:32Anodising is the process of submerging metal in an electrolyte bath and applying an electrical current.
32:39The purpose of anodising is to make a hardened outside layer which increases the wear durability of that component.
32:47But it also makes it more brittle and therefore susceptible to cracking.
32:51All of these things found in the metallurgical examination are small weaknesses.
32:55But when combined together, made the end cap more prone to fatigue cracking.
33:02Detailed analysis on the second cracked actuator shows that after the initial crack formed, it took almost 12,000 cycles
33:11to reach a critical size and fail.
33:18Well, just how many cycles were these things designed to withstand?
33:23I'll request the original specs.
33:27Investigators narrow their focus on the specification control drawing, or SCD, for the planes involved.
33:34A specification control drawing is a document that outlines the operating parameters of the component, such as how many cycles
33:43it's expected to last.
33:44What is the load that this actuator is expected to experience?
33:48These actuators are endurance tested at 50,000 cycles.
33:55Cycles refer to the number of complete landing gear extensions and retractions.
34:01How many cycles did the cracked actuators have?
34:04On average, 18,000 cycles. Less than half what they were designed to endure.
34:11So is this a problem with the original design, or the way it was made?
34:17In reviewing the metallurgical examination, we need to identify whether the component was actually manufactured in accordance with the original
34:25design requirements.
34:28Investigators visit the manufacturer of the actuators.
34:33So, how were these actuators designed?
34:36Well, we followed the SCD we were provided.
34:41So the actuators should be able to sustain 50,000 cycles.
34:45Yeah. But, ten years ago, we received three actuators for overhaul.
34:51Investigators learn these actuators had cracks, which led to a redesign.
34:57If you fix the design of the actuator back in 97, then why are we seeing cracks ten years later?
35:04Um, well, these cracks formed in the opposite end.
35:08There were concerns about the design the manufacturer had given them.
35:14The actuator manufacturer opined that the information provided by Beech was inadequate.
35:21The cycles, the loads, and the pressures experienced by these actuators was not what Beech was telling them.
35:28Did you share your concerns with the manufacturer?
35:31Yes. They said they'd do a flight test.
35:34The purpose of the flight test was to examine the operational loads on the actuator.
35:39So, the flight test. What did it tell you?
35:44The test showed that the actuator end cap didn't experience just one pressure peak per cycle, but two.
35:53This meant that each extension and retraction cycle subjected the actuator to twice the loading as to what it was
36:00designed for.
36:01So, if you're expecting 50,000 cycles on the actuator, now it can only do 25,000 cycles.
36:07Did you make any changes as a result of this?
36:10No. We didn't get the results until after the accident.
36:15Unfortunately, the lack of communication between an aircraft manufacturer and the component manufacturers, while rare, is not uncommon.
36:24Investigators now understand that a combination of factors led to the landing gear failure on flight 2300.
36:32Air speeds alive. 80 knots.
36:35After thousands of landing gear extensions and retractions over thousands of flights, the landing gear actuators were reaching the end
36:43of their life twice as fast as expected.
36:45Positive rate.
36:47Gear up.
36:55Machining marks on the actuator's end cap, along with metallurgical weaknesses, led to fatigue cracking, ultimately causing the end cap
37:04to fail.
37:07That actuator wasn't built to withstand the stresses put on it. I mean, it was destined to fail on those
37:12pilots.
37:13Hmm.
37:15What I want to know is, how do they pull off such a remarkable thing?
37:23Investigators look into the pilots' actions on Eagle Airways Flight 2300 to see how they carried out the successful emergency
37:31landing.
37:33When the landing gear didn't drop, they come up with a plan.
37:38Let's discontinue the approach.
37:44They immediately discontinue the approach. Good.
37:47So then they attempt some troubleshooting from 6,000 feet.
37:50When that doesn't work, they evaluate their options.
37:55Woodburn is wide open. Clear skies. And we can stay visual.
37:59Smart move. They knew there were better conditions for them to keep trying to solve the problem and prepare for
38:04emergency landing.
38:05Then they do exactly what they're supposed to do. They attempt a manual extension of the landing gear.
38:10Part of our training process, I had completed a manual gear extension and was familiar with the checklist from the
38:19Quick Reference Handbook or the QRH.
38:22Pump handle up and down until three green gear down enunciators are illuminated.
38:30Okay, good. They followed the QRH for a manual drop.
38:33Sounds like they kept the passengers updated throughout as well.
38:38Hey, folks. We've got a bit of a problem with the landing gear that we're still trying to troubleshoot.
38:43So first officer was awesome. He worked really well with me to work through the problem.
38:50No stress or panic from him either.
38:52Which probably made it easier for myself as well, having such a good guy sitting beside you.
39:00Seeing how calm and collected the pilots were, their training had just obviously kicked in because they knew exactly what
39:08they were doing.
39:09Our lives were in their hands and they come through for us.
39:14They were calm. Didn't cause a panic. Excellent.
39:18Yeah. And when they notice the fuel getting low, they make the call for a wheels up landing.
39:23Right. And then they prepare the plane to reduce the risk on touchdown.
39:28Landing gear circuit breaker pole.
39:34We both want to obviously do a good job and put the aircraft down in the shortest possible distance.
39:41Okay, everyone. Brace for landing now.
39:52After they need contact with the runway, they carefully control the aircraft.
39:58The pilots did an amazing job.
40:03Obviously anything but routine. It was a very serious situation, but they handled it like total pros.
40:11It took some concentration to make sure we remained on the centre line of the runway so we didn't fare
40:17off into the grass.
40:28We were just so lucky that day. The plane didn't catch fire or it didn't flip upside down. It didn't
40:34break apart.
40:36Luck was very much on our side.
40:41They did everything right.
40:44No injuries. Minimal damage to the plane.
40:49They saved the day.
40:53The pilots on this flight did an outstanding job.
40:56The fact that they were able to do a wheels up landing, maintain control of the aircraft on the runway
41:01is exemplary.
41:08As a result of the investigation into the failure of Flight 2300's landing gear, safety checks are instituted to ensure
41:17that the hydraulic fluid warning system is tested and that these tests include the fluid sensor.
41:24A service bulletin mandates the immediate inspection of beach craft actuators and the implementation of a thorough maintenance regime until
41:33the actuator is redesigned.
41:36Until then, Eagle Airways continues ultrasonic testing of the actuators every 1000 cycles, with the actuators being replaced after 10
41:47,000 cycles.
41:49Aviation was made safer as a result of this investigation because the output was an inspection regime that ensured a
41:56failure like this could not occur again.
42:00You know, every time you get airborne on an aeroplane, you're not expecting anything to go wrong, but they did
42:07it right that day.
42:08First officer and myself, we got it right.
42:11I know this xxOut and we put a world cap video about a realization that we're celebrating tomorrow.
42:12They'reieriow must have been을 comes a bit higher.
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