Rough Landing at Dulles 6/8/05

[wvfreedom]

Hello,

I was on Flight 7564 that crash landed at Dulles on 6/8/05 due to the collapse of the right landing gear. Over the years, I've looked for pics of the accident and have never had any luck. I recently found a post on airliners.net from 19 years ago that mentions pics on an aca-lounge site. Can anyone please assist me in locating them?

The final report states that we were escorted from the plane safely. That's how they described our exit as we jumped one by one from the main cabin and rear doors! It was a struggle to climb up into the aisle from the seats because the plane was at such a steep pitch since the right landing gear had collapsed. After finally making it to the left main exit, realizing there was no yellow slide or stairs was terrifying. Jumping from that height was the only option.

Thankfully, no one was injured at the time of the accident. Unfortunately, I found out 6 months later that I had severe nerve damage to my foot, leg & back from the high jump to exit the plane. Since then, I've had countless injections, therapies, over 20 surgeries and I'm in a wheelchair for the most part now. I have a spinal cord stimulator implant and a med pump implant to control the constant pain.

I assure you, looking for these pics has nothing to do with any legal action. The statute of limitations has long passed. Besides, I already received a $200.⁰⁰ voucher to put toward a future flight. Needless to say, I never took advantage of that generous compensation. Lol!

My search for pics has always been about my desire to see the accident that I survived that has had such an impact on my life. Even though my injuries have been progressively debilitating, I believe that Flight 7564 has made me stronger, more resilient, and forever grateful for the life I do have.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post. I hope that someone can lead me in the right direction. Here's some sage advice: always purchase flight insurance! Safe travels!

Here's the thread I found on airliners.net:
Washington Post Article On S5 Incident At IAD - Airliners.net

 

[FlyBigE]

Below is a link to the NTSB Report on Flight 7564. In a nutshell the Right MLG failed to lock down. The Crew followed procedures and landed and the gear slowly retracted. The Plane slid off the runway and people evacuated through the normal boarding door at the front of the aircraft. No injuries were reported and the aircraft sustained minor damage. The NTSB/FAA found out what broke but never determined why it the bolts in the MLG Actuator broke. Despite only receiving minor damage the aircraft was eventually scrapped. In my opinion it was scrapped as Turbo Props were becoming less popular, coupled with it being a 20 year old A model Saab at Serial number 40.


NTSB Report on Flight 7564

Analysis During the approach, the flightcrew was unable to get the right main landing gear extended and locked. After several attempts, while conferring with the checklist and company personnel, the flightcrew performed an emergency landing with the unsafe landing gear indication. During the landing, the right main landing gear slowly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest off the right side of the runway. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed that the retract actuator fitting was secured with two fasteners, a smaller bolt, and a larger bolt. The nut and cotter key were not recovered with the smaller bolt, and 8 of the 12 threads on the smaller bolt were stripped consistent with an overstress pulling of the nut away from the bolt. The larger bolt was bent and separated near the head, consistent with a tension and overstress separation as a result of the smaller bolt failure. The overstress failures were consistent with the right main landing gear not being locked in the extended position when aircraft weight was applied; however, examination of the right main landing gear down lock system could not determine any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. Further, the right main landing gear retract actuator was tomography scanned, and no anomalies were noted. The unit was then functionally tested at the manufacturer's facility, under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The unit tested successfully, with no anomalies noted. Probable Cause and Findings The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident to be: Failure of the right main landing gear to extend and lock for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the right main landing gear collapsing during touchdown.

actual Information On June 8, 2005, at 2137 eastern daylight time, a Saab 340A, N40SZ, operated by Shuttle America Corp. as United Express flight 7564, sustained minor damage during an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Dulles, Virginia. There were no injuries to the 3 crewmembers and 27 passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated from Westchester County Airport (HPN), White Plains, New York. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the air carrier flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121. According to the captain, the airplane was approaching IAD when the flightcrew attempted to extend the landing gear. A yellow transit light cockpit indication was observed, which alerted the flightcrew that the right main landing gear had not fully extended and locked. After "recycling" the landing gear, the flightcrew noted the same anomaly. The flightcrew advised air traffic control (ATC) of the problem, performed a missed approach, and climbed to 3,000 feet over the airport. While circling the airport, the flightcrew performed all relevant checklists in the quick reference handbook (QRH); however, they could not correct the anomaly. In addition, the flightcrew performed a low pass over the airport. Ground personnel observed the gear extended, but could not confirm that it was locked in the fully extended position. The flightcrew also contacted their company twice to discuss the problem. The decision was made to perform an emergency landing with the unsafe landing gear indication. After completing the emergency checklist items in the QRH, the flightcrew performed an emergency landing on runway 19L. During the landing, the right main landing gear slowly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a grassy area off the right side of the runway. An emergency evacuation of the airplane was performed successfully, and no serious injuries were reported. The airplane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR), which were forwarded to the Safety Board's vehicle recorders laboratory for readout. Data on the recorders confirmed the captain's statement. Components of the right main landing gear were examined at the Safety Board's materials laboratory. The right main landing gear retract actuator fitting was secured with two fasteners, a smaller bolt (part number AIR 134736) and a larger bolt (part number AIR 124792). The nut and cotter key were not recovered with the smaller bolt, and 8 of the 12 threads on the smaller bolt were stripped consistent with an overstress pulling of the nut away from the bolt. The larger bolt was bent and separated near the head, consistent with a tension and overstress separation as a result of the smaller bolt failure. The overstress failures were consistent with the right main landing gear not locked in the extended position while aircraft weight was applied to it; however, examination of the right main landing gear down lock system could not determine any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. Further, the right main landing gear retract actuator was subjected to x-ray computed tomography (CT) and digital scanning under the direction of the Safety Board. The CT scan did not reveal any anomalies with the actuator. The unit was then functionally tested at the manufacturer's facility, under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The unit tested successfully, with no anomalies noted.

 

[FlyBigE]

May 29, 2005 at KIAD
Photo by Mark Abbott