Nearly two years after passengers screamed while sparks flew down a runway during the landing of an Alaska Airlines flight, the cause has been revealed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a final report. The incident, which occurred during a 2023 flight departing from Seattle, Washington, saw the plane make a hard touchdown in Santa Ana, California, during Tropical Storm Hilary after the left main landing gear collapsed on landing.
Video captured by a passenger showed the aircraft slamming into the ground at high speed, with sparks flying and the left wing dragging along the tarmac. The NTSB report attributed the accident to a ‘fatigue crack’ in a metal trunnion pin, part of the left landing gear. This fracture, which originated from excessive grinding during a 2018 maintenance overhaul, introduced heat damage to the metal. While the crack was initially undetectable, it grew over time and eventually led to the pin fracturing during landing, the report stated.
The NTSB emphasized that even mild heat exposure from grinding or machining during overhauls can lead to cracking, which may result in failed landing gear components as in this incident. The pin, which had endured more than 4,000 landing cycles since the 2018 maintenance, had likely been present for around 800 cycles. Despite the extensive damage from the hard landing, all 112 passengers and crew were able to deplane safely without injury. Alaska Airlines expressed its focus on taking care of its guests and retrieving checked bags, apologizing for the inconvenience while thanking passengers for their patience.