WASHINGTON (AP) — Investigators say a broken part prevented the pilots of a Delta plane from lowering the nose landing gear before landing last month in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it sent the fractured part, called the latch link, to its lab for examination as it investigates the June 28 incident.
The NTSB said that when the upper lock link broke, it allowed the lower lock link to swing down and prevent the landing gear from moving.
Boeing 717 maintenance records have been “quarantined and will be subject to review,” the NTSB said. The plane was built in 2000, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
The NTSB said the pilots of the Atlanta flight made several attempts to lower the landing gear as they circled the Charlotte airport twice to fix the problem. Air traffic controllers told the crew they could not see the nose wheel.
The pilots were able to land the aircraft safely, gliding to a stop on the runway. No injuries were reported among the 99 passengers and five crew members, who evacuated on slides, but the aircraft sustained significant damage.