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CEN11IA615

2011-09-01 · Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BTR

Current FAA registration · N875AS

Make / Model
BOMBARDIER INC CL-600-2B19
Year of manufacture
2001 · 10 years old at event
Engine
GE CF34 SERIES
Seats / Engines
55 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20011212
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC08FA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The improperly installed upper attachment bolt in the left main landing gear uplock assembly, which led to the failure of the left main landing gear to extend before landing. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel's lack of training on the installation and inspection of the uplock assembly.

Factual narrative

On September 1, 2011, about 1725 central daylight time, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19 airplane, N875AS, operated as Delta Connection flight 5058, landed at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with the left main landing gear in the retracted position. The airline transport pilot captain, first officer, flight attendant, and 50 passengers were not injured. The airplane received minor damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the landing and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 flight. The flight originated from the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia, at 1409. While configuring the airplane for landing, the flight crew observed a landing gear disagree message, and the left main gear indicated that it was not down and locked. The Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) procedures were accomplished, which included cycling the landing gear handle and the use of the alternate gear extension (manual release) system; however, the crew was unable to get the left landing gear to extend. The captain declared an emergency and elected to land the airplane with the right main landing gear and nose gear extended. The airplane came to rest in an upright and left wing low position. The captain commanded an evacuation, and all passengers departed the airplane using the left forward door. Post-incident inspection of the airplane revealed minor damage to the left wing. There was no other damage to the airplane as a result of the left main landing gear being retracted at the time of landing. Examination of the left main landing gear assembly revealed that the upper attachment bolt for the left main landing gear uplock assembly, which is designed to be attached to both the uplock mechanism and the structure, was attached to the airplane structure only. Maintenance had been performed on both the left and right main landing gear systems prior to the incident flight. The mechanic who performed the maintenance did not have prior experience performing the installation of the uplock assembly. Following the incident, Atlantic Southeast Airlines changed their maintenance requirements and procedures to prevent future accidents. In addition, Bombardier issued Service Letter ATA:3230 to address this maintenance discrepancy and prevent future accidents. While configuring the airplane for landing, the flight crew observed a landing gear disagree message and an indication that the left main landing gear was not down and locked. The flight crewmembers followed procedures to address the landing gear disagree message; however, they were unable to get the left landing gear to extend. The captain declared an emergency and chose to land the airplane with only the right main landing gear and nose landing gear extended. The airplane came to rest in an upright, left-wing-low position. Postincident examination of the left main landing gear system revealed that the upper attachment bolt for the left main landing gear uplock assembly, which is designed to be attached to both the uplock mechanism and the structure, was attached only to the airplane structure. The left main landing gear uplock assembly had been removed and reinstalled the day before the incident flight. The mechanic who performed the maintenance did not have training on nor prior experience performing the installation of the uplock assembly, and the maintenance inspector who inspected its installation did not have training on inspecting the uplock assembly. Neither the mechanic nor the maintenance inspector observed any problems during the postinstallation inspection. Thus, it is likely that the uplock assembly was installed incorrectly due to the lack of training in both the installation by the mechanic and the inspection by the inspector. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Installation-Maintenance personnel - C
  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Maintenance personnel - F
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Post maintenance inspection-Maintenance personnel - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_CEN11IA615.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, maintenance). All research papers