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NTSB report released on plane that landed without nose gear in Charlotte

The report states that a fractured upper lock link in the landing gear system prevented the nose landing gear from functioning properly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A preliminary report has been released detailing what caused a plane to land without front landing gear at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport last month. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary findings Tuesday. 

The report states a fractured upper lock link, a mechanism of the landing gear system, prevented the nose landing gear from functioning properly.

Delta Air Lines flight 1092, a Boeing 7171-200 aircraft, was en route to Charlotte from Atlanta on June 28 when the plane was forced to land without the nose gear.

None of the 104 passengers or flight crew were hurt during the landing, which was captured on video by multiple passengers.

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The NTSB report states the flight crew first attempted to lower the landing gear about 2,000 feet above the ground. The light in the cockpit alerted the crew to the issue.

Delta Air Lines' Atlanta flight control was alerted to the issue and an air traffic control emergency was declared. The flight crew attempted multiple go-arounds, a practice where the plane circles the airport before landing, with the intention of fixing the issue.

Passengers told WCNC Charlotte they noticed the plane circling the airport before the pilot notified them of the mechanical issue with the landing gear. 

"Initially we were going down to land and we got 30, maybe 50 feet from the runway and the pilot sped up and kind of took off again," the passenger said. "That was the first sign of, 'Oh, something must be pretty wrong.'" 

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The airplane landed on the Charlotte runway with its front landing gear. As the plane was traveling about 92 mph, the crew lowered the nose onto the runway without the front landing gear, according to the report. The airplane was sprayed with water by firefighters after it stopped.

Credit: WCNC
NTSB diagram of the fractured lock link on the Delta Air Lines flight

The malfunctioning lock link was sent to the NTSB's materials laboratory for examination. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were sent to the NTSB recorders laboratory.

The NTSB said its investigation is still ongoing. Tuesday's release is preliminary ahead of its final findings.

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