Virgin Atlantic Flight 024

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Virgin Atlantic Flight 024
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-311 (G-VSKY-016) (15153676272).jpg
G-VSKY, the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
DateNovember 5, 1997 (1997-11-05)
SummaryEmergency landing after left main landing gear failed to deploy
Site Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom
51°27′53″N00°27′53″W / 51.46472°N 0.46472°W / 51.46472; -0.46472
Aircraft
Aircraft type Airbus A340-311
Aircraft nameChina Girl
Operator Virgin Atlantic
IATA flight No.VS24
ICAO flight No.VIR24
Call signVIRGIN 24
Registration G-VSKY
Flight origin Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, United States
Destination Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom
Occupants114
Passengers98
Crew16
Fatalities0
Injuries7
Survivors114

Virgin Atlantic Flight 024 was a regularly scheduled Virgin Atlantic passenger flight from Los Angeles, California, to London, United Kingdom. On 5 November 1997, the Airbus A340 was forced to make an emergency landing at London Heathrow Airport after the left main landing gear failed to deploy. During the crash landing, the aircraft was damaged and later repaired. Of the 114 passengers and crew aboard, 7 were lightly injured. [1] [2]

Contents

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A340-311, registered G-VSKY with manufacturer serial number 016. It made its first flight on 3 November 1993 and was delivered soon after to Virgin Atlantic on 21 January 1994. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown 19,323 hours. It was fitted with four CFM International CFM56-5C2 high-bypass turbofan engines. [3] :10

Accident

At 05:09 GMT (21:09 local time), flight VS024 departed from runway 24L in Los Angeles after a 19-minute delay. While climbing, the crew noticed that the landing gear was slow to retract. Later, during a routine in-flight systems scan, it was noted that the brake temperature sensor on the inboard rear wheel of the main landing gear had failed, but the flight was otherwise uneventful. [3] :3

At 15:04 GMT, while on final approach to Heathrow Runway 27L, the crew received an aural "Gear not safe" alert after deploying the landing gear, upon which the crew elected to go around and return to a holding pattern. [3] :3–4

The crew decided to fly near the ATC tower to have a controller visually identify a problem. It was found that the left main landing gear was stuck in a partially deployed position. The crew tried to complete several manoeuvres to free the landing gear without success. The crew planned to touch the runway with the right main landing gear and immediately go around, hoping to shake the landing gear up. The idea was not attempted as it was too dangerous and the pilots were inexperienced in such an action. [3] :4–5

When the crew realized that it was impossible to deploy the left main landing gear, the passengers and airport were prepared for an emergency landing. At 16:08 the captain realized the aircraft was nearly out of fuel and declared "Mayday". The crew aimed to land the plane on runway No. 27L, believing the lopsided aircraft would turn away from airport facilities once on the ground and towards empty space.

Per SOP, all four engines are to be powered down. The captain decided to start shuttering the outermost engines first (engines 1 and 4), followed by the inner most pair (engines 2 and 3) [3] :5–6

As the aircraft came to land, engine 4 struck the runway and the last landing gear burst. Soon after, engines 1 and 2 also struck the ground, bursting into flames. Once the aircraft veered to the left, passengers were evacuated, seven of which who suffered minor injuries. [3] :6–7

Cause

The accident was caused by the following factors: [4]

Aftermath

The aircraft sustained considerable damage, including to three engines and the landing gear. Runway 27L was damaged after the tyres burst. [3] :8

See also

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References

  1. "Virgin Atlantic – Airbus – A340-311 (G-VSKY) flight VS024". Aviation Accident Database. 8 April 2016.
  2. "Emergency landing 'all in a day's work'". The Independent. 6 November 1997. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Report on the accident to Airbus A340-311, G-VSKY, at London Heathrow Airport on 5 November 1997" (PDF) (Official accident report). Air Accidents Investigation Branch. 29 June 2000. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2017.
  4. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A340-311 G-VSKY London-Heathrow Airport (LHR)". aviation-safety.net.