logo
Landing gear collapse on Alaska Airlines 737 caused by ‘excessive grinding' during maintenance, NTSB says

Landing gear collapse on Alaska Airlines 737 caused by ‘excessive grinding' during maintenance, NTSB says

CNN27-05-2025

'Excessive grinding' during maintenance led to a metal pin cracking and eventually breaking causing the left landing gear to collapse on an Alaska Airlines flight in 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a final report Tuesday.
On August 20, 2023, the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 was landing at John Wayne-Orange County Airport in California when the gear failed, sending sparks flying as the engine scraped the runway.
There were 112 passengers and crew on board, who had to evacuate from stairs onto a taxiway, but no injuries were reported.
When the plane touched down, the captain reported feeling a 'firm jolt' and the plane was 'pulling reasonably hard' to the left.
In the NTSB's analysis, a 'fatigue crack,' in a metal pin 0.144 inches deep, was 'large enough to cause the remaining material of the 10-inch-long pin to fracture… during landing, resulting in the collapse of the left main landing gear.'
The 'excessive grinding' of the surface of the pin likely happened during a maintenance overhaul on July 5, 2018, after it was covered in chrome, the NTSB said.
The grinding caused too much heat, which made the metal softer and more likely to break.
The crack wasn't present at the time of the maintenance work but likely developed after about 4,000 subsequent landings, the board found.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Meet the Philadelphia cancer patient being honored before Tuesday's Phillies' game
Meet the Philadelphia cancer patient being honored before Tuesday's Phillies' game

CBS News

time18 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Meet the Philadelphia cancer patient being honored before Tuesday's Phillies' game

A Philadelphia cancer patient will be honored at the Phillies' game on Tuesday night. The Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Phillies are joining forces for what they're calling Strike Out Cancer Night. The ceremonial first pitch will come from a young man who's part of a concerning trend. "As a lifelong Phillies fan, you think that you're gonna get to the major leagues by playing," Josh Breen said. "I think that this is a different way of going." As a young cancer patient, Breen will be throwing out the first pitch at the Phillies' Strike Out Cancer Night "Definitely a little bit of pressure," Breen said. In physical therapy now at Fox Chase, Breen knows all about pressure. A year ago, he was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma, a deadly kind of skin cancer. It was right after his wedding. Breen was on his honeymoon in Italy and found a lump. "Very scary at the time," Breen said. "It's supposed to be the best part of your life. And then you kind of quickly get torn down." Breen was only 30 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma, which is part of a new trend of young people being diagnosed with different types of cancer. Josh Breen, who was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma last year, will throw out the first pitch at Tuesday's Phillies' game as a part of Strike Out Cancer Night. CBS News Philadelphia "And many young patients, cancer is not on their radar as it should not be, but suddenly they're presenting with these small lesions that then can turn into bigger problems," Dr. Jeffrey Farma, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, said. Farma, the head of surgery at Fox Chase, said that before his surgery, Breen had immunotherapy, which is changing the face of cancer. "The survival and outcomes is really the best we've ever seen, so really, really exciting," Farma said. And the exciting cancer advancements now come with fertility options. "I was able to bank my sperm a week before I started immunotherapy treatment," Breen said. Breen and his wife, Sam, are expecting a baby boy on July 19. Fox Chase now has a program specifically for young cancer patients to help with everything from fertility to work, school and family issues. "From this moment that our younger patients are in the door, we're providing all of these resources in a combined program, which is amazing," Farma said. Breen said it's been a wild year of highs and lows. Now, it's just about getting his pitch over home plate. "Things are definitely trending in the right direction," Breen said. Breen will no doubt get plenty of applause Tuesday night before the game starts. He said he always uses sunscreen now, which is critical for guarding against skin cancer.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store