With a crew of 14 (two pilots and twelve cabin crew) and 288 passengers, an Airbus A330-321 took off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, People’s Republic of China on this day in aviation history. The destination of the flight was Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand.
The aft and the forward sections of the RH MLG bogie beam (Source & © AAIC)
After an uneventful flight, the aircraft touched down, 440 meters from the runway threshold, on runway 19L (at 16.26 UTC) at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand. After rolling down the runway for approximately 760 meters the right-hand main landing gear bogie beam failed. The aircraft started to veer to the right as the failed bogie beam scraped the runway surface, and the crew was unable to correct the direction of travel. After another 365 meters, the aircraft veered off the runway and continued for another 100 meters over soft ground before coming to a stop.
The Air Traffic Controller in the tower observed sparks emanating from the aircraft and alerted the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Damage to the surface of runway 19L(Source & © AAIC)
After coming to a stop the fire warning for the right-hand engine was observed by the crew, and the necessary remedial action was taken by the crew. An evacuation of the aircraft was ordered, which was initiated following the On-ground Emergency Evacuation checklist. As the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service approached the aircraft they immediately took action to contain the fire and assist in the evacuation of the aircraft. The Captain and Co-pilot were the last of the occupants to leave the aircraft. 15 passengers sustained light injuries during the accident and the subsequent evacuation of the aircraft. Damage to the aircraft was extensive and substantial among other damage;
The left-hand engine was damaged beyond repair
The right-hand engine was damaged beyond repair
The right-hand wing and pylon were damaged
The right-hand Main Landing Gear bogie beam broke in three places
The Nose Landing Gear doors were damaged
The aircraft in its final position (Source; www.baaa-acro.com ©Unknown)
The failed bogie also caused extensive damage to runway 19L, two grooves with a depth of 5- 15 centimetres, these grooves followed along the aircraft movement at 440 metres from the runway threshold and diverged to the right edge of the runway for 365 metres. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC) launched an investigation into the runway excursion for the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Commission of Thailand. As part of the investigation, the failed Right-hand bogie underwent a laboratory investigation under the supervision of the involved investigation agencies. It was determined that;
Initiation of fracture could not be determined due to post-failure damage
Corrosion pits were found, originating from before the last overhaul
The paint was applied to thin
Coating missing from the Bogie Pivot Pin
The corrosion pits were not found at the last overhaul
The operator did not follow Airworthiness Directives
Protective Coating Specification of the MLG bogie beam internal surfaces (Source & © AAIC)
The AAIC concluded that the accident was caused by the RH MLG bogie beam fragmentation, which made the aircraft veer off the runway. The aircraft fuselage and both engines were damaged, the right engine was on fire. However, the cause of the damaged MLG bogie beam could not be found due to the cracks being damaged while the bogie was scraping the runway surface.
Diagram of the bogie beam (Source & © AAIC)
Maintenance errors during the overhaul of the Bogie beam, and some attaching parts, were determined to be contributing factors.
The AAIC finished their report by issuing eight safety recommendations, they can be found in the full report (which served as the source for this blog) accessible to the reader by clicking on the .pdf file below;
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