NTSB Focuses on Mechanical Failure in Charlotte Nose Landing

A fractured lock link was sent to the NTSB materials laboratory for examination.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 04:39 PM ET

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View of airplane in final resting position. Photo provided by FAA. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

A Delta Boeing 717 made a nose-gear-up landing in Charlotte after a mechanical failure prevented the nose landing gear from deploying.
Investigators determined the failure was caused by a fractured upper lock link in the nose gear assembly.
Despite multiple attempts by the flight crew to extend the gear electronically and manually, it remained retracted, leading to an emergency declaration.
All 99 passengers and 5 crew members onboard were uninjured during the incident, and the NTSB is continuing its investigation.

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Mechanical part failure of a Boeing 717’s nose gear assembly may have prevented its deployment, leading a Delta Air Lines flight to land on its nose last month in Charlotte, according to accident investors.

The June 28 incident occurred at 8:58 a.m. as the crew of the Boeing 717 was preparing for landing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (KCLT), according to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The aircraft was about 2,000 feet agl when the first officer lowered the landing gear handle and the nosewheel unsafe condition light illuminated.