Strutting

During landing gear retraction tests, it was noted the nose wheel assembly would contact the right nose gear doors aft hinge during landing gear cycle. Also, the nose wheel assembly contacted the nose wheel well structure when fully retracted. Precision measurements determined the nose strut assembly-to-aircraft-structure attach points were misaligned.

Key Takeaways:

• Landing gear struts on various aircraft models experience a range of issues, including manufacturing defects like misaligned attach points or oversize holes, and damaged internal components such as retaining pins.
• Structural failures are also common, often caused by operational stresses like high side loads, heavy environmental conditions (snow/ice), or repeated hard landings, leading to pre-existing cracks or complete strut breakage and collapse.
• These incidents underscore the critical need for precise manufacturing, thorough inspections (which may require complete disassembly), and adherence to service bulletins to maintain landing gear integrity and safety.

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