All language subtitles for Mayday.S26E04.Crash.Landing.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

Gear down.

The pilots of Eagle
Airways Flight 2300

can't lower the landing gear.

That's not good.

That is not good.

When you see a pilot
looking through a manual,

you've got to think there's
something seriously wrong here.

We're gonna have to land
wheels up.

Low on fuel,
they have no choice

but to attempt to land
at New Zealand's Woodbourne
Airport.

They were faced with
a situation that was not
resolvable.

A wheels-up landing, it is not
an everyday occurrence.

I did fear for my life.

When investigators
look into the cause

of the failure, they uncover
a widespread problem.

What's that bring us to?

Twelve developing cracks, plus
the two we already knew about.

We had
a significant systemic issue

not just with Air New Zealand
but also worldwide.

It's early morning
at Timaru Airport

on New Zealand's South Island.

The pilots of Eagle Airways
Flight 2300

are completing
their pre-flight checks.

Hi. Good morning. You okay?

Fifteen passengers
board the plane

ahead of a scheduled
7:10 a.m. departure.

Among them is 50-year-old
businessman, Lyle Richards.

I was a reasonably frequent
flier, so, um, I'd actually

done that flight just the week
before.

Eagle Airways
is a regional airline,

a subsidiary of Air New Zealand.

At the controls
is 42-year-old Captain Myles
Gousmett.

He's been with Eagle Airways
for nearly 12 years.

Cabin door closed.

The 32-year-old
first officer is the pilot
monitoring today.

He joined Eagle Airways
last year.

About that time.

Ready when you are.

Let's roll out.

Eagle 300 is taxiing
for departure to Wellington.

At 7:10 a.m., Flight
2300 makes its way
to the runway.

Airspeed's alive... 80 knots.

The pilots are
flying a Beechcraft
1900-D.

It's a low-wing twin-engine
turboprop airplane capable

of carrying 19 passengers
and a crew of 2.

Positive rate.
Gear up.

Gear up.

It's a one-hour
flight from Timaru to Wellington
on New Zealand's North Island.

Flight 2300 levels off
at 21,000 feet.

The passengers settle in for
the short flight.

I was flying up for work.

I was manager of, of a barbeque
factory, and, um,

we were opening a new branch,
just north of Wellington.

Can you get me the ATIS
for Wellington?

I'm guarding Comm 1
while you're off.

The pilots check
on the weather in Wellington.

Wellington
Airport, winds, 2-1-0 at 10,

visibility 20 reducing to 10
in rain showers.

Sky conditions...

Wellington's not as windy
as normal.

Sounds wet, though,
with a low cloud ceiling.

- Yeah.
- And Woodbourne?

Woodbourne
Airport, winds 2-6-0 at 8,

visibility 50, sky conditions
clear.

Woodbourne, on the other hand,
looks very nice.

Not a cloud in the sky.

We're gonna have a cracking day
at home for us

when we get there.

Ladies and gentlemen,

we've begun our descent
into the Wellington area.

At this time, please ensure
your seatbelts

are securely fastened, your tray
tables are stowed,

and any carry-on items
are placed under the seat
in front of you.

I was feeling great.

I knew I had a fairly long three
or four days ahead of me

setting up this new branch,
but I was looking forward to it.

At 8:12 a.m.,
the pilots begin their approach

to Wellington Airport.

Approaching intercept for ILS
Runway 1-6. Props 15-50.

- Props set.
- Flaps 17.

Flaps 17.

Intercepting the glide slope.
Gear down.

Speed, 170 knots. Gear down.

The pilots' routine
approach takes

an unexpected turn.

That's not good.

That is not good.

The plane's landing
gear doesn't extend.

Let's discontinue
the approach.

Wellington control,
Eagle 3-0-0.

Go ahead, Eagle 3-0-0.

Wellington, missed approach,
maintaining 3,000 feet.

We've got a landing gear
problem.

Eagle 3-0-0, uh, cleared
to maintain 3,000 feet,

fly heading 2-7-0.

2-7-0, Eagle 3-0-0.

Cycle it back up.
Give it another go.

The pilots
troubleshoot the problem.

Nothing.

Let's clean it up.
Flaps up.

Eagle 3-0-0, request you climb
to 6,000 feet on heading 2-7-0

over the Cook Strait and away
from traffic.

In the cabin,
passengers get

the first indication that
something is wrong.

It was just a normal flight.

Uh, we were coming into land but
then all of a sudden

it was just full power and
we were heading back up

into the sky.

Flight 2300
ascends to a higher altitude

where there's less traffic.

Let's try it again.

Landing gear down.

Nothing.

Okay, let's check
the electrical system.

Okay, landing gear relay
circuit breaker.

Hasn't popped.

No breakers have popped.
Electricals seem fine.

The pilots have
another option.

We're gonna have to extend
the gear manually.

And we don't want to continue
down into the weather

in Wellington with this problem.

Wellington has traffic,
low cloud and showers.

It's an ILS approach.

Before attempting
to manually extend

the landing gear, the pilots
consider diverting

to a different airport.

Woodbourne is wide open,

clear skies, and we can stay
visual.

Exactly. And our engineering
base is there.

We divert to Woodbourne?

Agree. Woodbourne Control,
we've got a landing gear issue.

Requesting descent
to Woodbourne.

We have to do a manual extension
of the gear.

Requesting a local standby.

I'll let the passengers what's
going on.

Ladies and gentlemen,
this is your captain.

We've encountered an issue
with the undercarriage

of the aircraft.

Our plan is to divert
to Woodbourne

in the Blenheim area
to hold.

We plan to do a manual
landing gear extension.

We'll keep you updated, but
we don't anticipate any
problems.

You sort of go, okay, there's
a problem with the landing gear,

sort of, you know, I wonder how
bad that's going to be.

Flight 2300
descends into clear skies.

Okay, let's try manual landing
gear extension.

You have control.

I have control.

The captain reviews
the procedure for a manual drop.

I leaned into the aisle
and, and, and looked in...

into the cockpit and I see that
the pilot was busy

thumbing through what looked
like a manual.

When you see a pilot looking
through a manual,

you've got to think:

"hey, there's gotta be something
seriously wrong here".

Landing gear control lever.
Confirm down.

Alternative extension handle.

Unstow and pump.

Pump handle up and down until
three green gear-down

annunciators are illuminated.

Nothing...

Attempts to lower
Flight 2300's landing gear

using both the normal and manual
systems have failed.

Yeah, passengers might
be wondering what's going on.

I'll have a word.

Hey folks, we've got a bit
of a problem

with the landing gear that we're
still trying to troubleshoot.

Nothing to be alarmed about,
but we're going to circle

the area for a bit while we sort
it out.

We'll keep you posted.
Thank you.

When I heard that, I was
thinking: "well, we could be

in real trouble here".

I thought of my wife and,
and my kids,

and then I started thinking
about all the possible scenarios

of, of what could happen.

As the pilots
continue trying to drop

the landing gear, they know
they can only troubleshoot

for so long.

They're down to just over
an hour's worth of fuel.

Let's give Air Operations
a call.

Blenheim Base, Eagle 3-0-0.

Eagle 3-0-0, this is AOC.

We've got a problem with
the landing gear.

Have tried normal extension
several times.

Have tried manual extension.
We're still getting nothing.

Eagle 3-0-0,
we'll get an engineer

to help you right away.

After circling
for 15 minutes, Flight 2300

gets an update from
Air Operations.

Eagle 3-0-0,
try isolating electrical power

to the landing gear motor.

We got nothing.

Don't know why
that's not working.

We gotta keep digging deeper.

Try turning
all the power off. Everything.

If the pilots
isolate all the electrical

components and the landing
gear extends,

it will confirm that the problem
is in the electrical system...

...but the outcome
is no different.

Those wheels
should have come down by now.

- Still nothing.
- Nothing.

Only forty-five minutes
of fuel left.

We're gonna have to land
wheels-up.

Agreed.

They're forced
to attempt one of aviation's

most challenging landings.

A wheels-up landing is,
is not an everyday occurrence.

They were faced with a situation

that was not resolvable
in flight.

Have fire and ambulance
ready, thank you.

Now the pilots
update the Woodbourne controller

of their situation.

Woodbourne tower, Eagle 3-0-0.

We're still unable to lower
our landing gear.

Declare full emergency
at Woodbourne.

Confirming your landing gear
issue, Eagle 3-0-0.

Full emergency response
has already been activated.

Hey, everyone.

Unfortunately, we're unable
to lower the landing gear.

So we're going to have
to land wheels-up.

Obviously, the tension went
right up.

A... a crash landing is,
is everybody's worst fear.

Now the landing's gonna be
harder than usual

and there's going to be quite
a bit of noise.

So make sure your seatbelts
are secure and that you're ready

to take the brace position
when I say.

Take a close look
at the safety card.

Everybody simultaneously
grabbed that information card

that nobody ever reads.

Um, all of a sudden, it becomes
so important

that we actually grabbed it and,
and everybody read it.

Ma'am, why don't we go ahead
and move you, okay? Thank you.

The first officer
moves a pregnant woman away

from her seat alongside
the emergency exit.

Sir? Are you good to open
the emergency exit door

when we land?
- Uh, yeah.

Excellent. Thank you.

Once the plane has stopped,
pull the red handle towards you

and push the door out
of the plane.

Jump out and get as far from
the plane as possible.

The adrenalin level was really
starting to get right up there.

Follow this man out,
and that'll be that. OK?

- Okay, got it.
- Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

I did fear for my life,
confronted with what

was going to potentially
happen.

Okay, let's review
the procedure for gear-up
landing.

"Crew: Brief for emergency
landing responsibilities.

Runway: Land on longest runway
possible."

The key to a safe
wheels-up landing is timing.

After 45 minutes
of circling,

the fuel light
reaches the right level.

Now's the time.

Woodbourne Tower, Eagle 3-0-0.

Please be advised we need
to make a wheels-up landing.

Roger, Eagle 3-0-0, you are
cleared to land runway 2-4.

The crew prepares
for an emergency landing.

Let's get rid of everything
electrical that we don't need.

EFIS screen power off
on my side.

Landing gear circuit breaker.
Pull.

They shut down
all non-essential

electrical systems to prevent
a short circuit

or potential fire.

They also pull the landing gear
circuit breaker

to prevent an uncommanded gear
deployment before

or during touchdown.

In the cabin, tensions
run high.

This was gonna happen and it,
and it was happening now

sort of thing, so, um, yeah,
things were getting real.

Woodbourne tower, Eagle 3-0-0,
are we clear to land?

Cleared to land runway 2-4,
emergency services are in place.

Anything we missed?

Nope.

OK then. Here we go.

Now at just 500
feet, the pilots

of Flight 2300 lines up
with the runway.

The only difference
with this landing

is we're gonna be a bit lower
when we touch down.

Almost two hours
after departure from Timaru,

Flight 2300 is made ready to
land without its landing gear.

OK, everyone,
brace for landing now.

As we were just about to touch
down, you know,

and I was looking out
the window, I could see

the grass getting closer
and closer. It was dead quiet.

You could hear a pin drop.

Eagle Airways Flight
2300 is seconds

from landing at New Zealand's
Woodbourne Airport

without the landing gear
deployed.

If the plane doesn't come
in completely levelled,

there's a risk a wing could hit
the runway and break off.

It was just this loud rumble
screeching sound as,

as we slid down the runway.

And it seemed to slide
for, for ages.

Now the captain
needs to bring the plane

to a full stop to avoid sliding
off the runway.

If it goes into the grass,
it can dig into the ground

and cause the plane
to flip.

Nearly 15 seconds
after the emergency landing,

Flight 2300 has come
to a stop.

I sat there and sort of looked
around and thought, "well, yes

we're, we're right way up,
there's no smoke,

there's no fire, and all
my limbs are still attached".

Evacuate.

But the passengers
and crew aren't

out of danger yet.

The risk of fire
means evacuation is urgent.

I opened the hatch and threw
the hatch outwards,

and there was a loud noise and
a, and a swishing sound,

which gave me a, a huge fright
because I didn't know

what it was. As it turned out,
it was the fire brigade

that sprayed the plane with,
with foam.

All fifteen
passengers and the pilots

À make it off safely.

When I got to the terminal,
that's when the shock

really set in for me.
You know I was... I was shaking.

But it was a huge relief that,
that I managed to,

to ring my wife and, and tell
her that I was okay.

A disaster has been
averted, with all 17 people
walking away unharmed.

The Transport Accident
Investigation Commission,

or TAIC, leads the investigation
into Flight 2300's

landing gear failure.

The first question, of course,
was why?

The aircraft had been in service
with the operator

for about five years
at that stage.

How could this happen?

The aircraft had pretty good
reliability up till then.

What could have
caused the landing gear to fail?

That could have gone
a lot worse.

Got those reports.
Let's take a look.

Investigators review
the plane's maintenance history.

Yeah, it looks like it was
maintained on schedule.

Hm.

It even had a maintenance
review just six days

before the accident.
- Um-hm.

Something else gets
their attention.

There was a landing
gear failure back in January.

Three weeks later, a hydraulic
fluid leak was found under

the left wing.

Could that be what happened
here?

The hydraulic fluid
is the lifeblood

of the landing gear system
and without it,

you'd be unable to retract
or extend the landing gear.

The plane is lifted
by crane and towed

to a hangar for examination.

Investigators check
the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

It's dry. There's no hydraulic
fluid in the reservoir.

On initial examination
of the aircraft,

we identified that the hydraulic
reservoir was empty,

so then that raised two
questions: Where did it go?

And why did it go?

So when did it leak?
Before or after takeoff?

Investigators
request photos from the tarmac

at Timaru Airport, where Eagle
Airways Flight 2300

was parked the night
before departure.

They're looking for signs
of leaked hydraulic fluid

needed for lowering the landing
gear.

There's no signs of fluid
on the ground.

That means the leak occurred
in flight.

But if the plane lost
hydraulic fluid in flight,

wouldn't the pilots
have received a warning?

Well, they should have.

The Beech 19-hundred-D
has a system to warn the pilots

if the hydraulic fluid reservoir
is running low.

If hydraulic fluid
reaches a critically low level,

a yellow warning light
on the cockpit indicator panel

would light up.

Investigators meet with
the captain to see if he had

any indication that
the hydraulic fluid was low.

You flew into Timaru
the night before.

- Uh-Uh.
- Any problems with the plane?

No, nothing.

What about your pre-flight
checks morning of?

Anything come up?

Uh, no. Uh, Richie walked
around the outside,

and we did the internal
inspection.

Everything was tip-top.

How about the hydraulic fluid
low annunciator system?

As part of their
pre-flight inspection,

pilots test that the low
hydraulic fluid warning system

is operational.

If it is working, the light
turns on after

a four-second delay.

It checked out fine.

Did the light
ever come on after that?

No, it stayed dark.

We knew that the hydraulic
reservoir was empty

and so the warning light
should have illuminated,

but it didn't.

The Captain said the low
hydraulic fluid warning light

was working before takeoff.

And had it been functioning
properly, that would have helped

the pilots understand why
the landing gear didn't lower.

We knew the gear wouldn't
lower and secondly,

we knew that the reservoir was,
was empty of fluid.

So we needed to find out why
that fluid had leaked from

the system.

Investigators search
for the source of the leak

that caused the failure
of Flight 2300's
landing gear.

We're ready.

They add a small
amount of hydraulic fluid

to the system and use the manual
lowering system

to check for leaks.

Okay, stop. We've got a leak
in the right main landing gear.

It looks like it's coming
from the actuator.

When pilots activate
the plane's landing gear,

hydraulic fluid is pushed from
a reservoir

to landing gear actuators
that extend the gear

to their down and locked
position.

In the course
of the investigation and during

testing if you observe
hydraulic fluid leaking

from the actuator, you're
getting closer to pinpointing

the source of the leak.

They examine
the actuator to determine

if it was defective.

There's a crack in the end
cap.

To confirm our theory about
the failed actuator

we replaced the actuator, and
we then replenished

the oil system and completed
several gear extensions and,

uh, retractions, and this
confirmed that the problem

was with that failed actuator.

The failed actuator
is sent to the National

Transportation Safety Board's
lab in the United States

for metallurgical examination.

We did that because
the Beech 1900

was manufactured
in the United States

as well as the actuator.

And so they had access to both
those organizations

to support that examination.

While they wait
for the metallurgical results,

the remainder of Eagle Airways'
fleet is checked

for failed actuators.

It was important that
we identified whether

this was a single isolated
occurrence

or there was a wider
systemic issue.

No other cracks
are found.

Most likely, this was
an isolated occurrence

But just three
months after the failure

of Flight 2300's landing gear,
the crew of another

Beechcraft 19-hundred-D
observes a pooling of hydraulic

fluid near the right main
landing gear.

That plane's actuator
is removed

and a closer examination
reveals a crack

in the same location
as Flight 2300.

This now raised concerns about
there being a systemic issue

and that the problem could
actually be fleet-wide.

While the latest
cracked actuator is also sent

for metallurgical testing,
Eagle Airways performs

a more rigorous test
on its fleet.

Ultrasonic testing is a method
of non-destructively testing

a component using high-frequency
sound waves.

These sound waves can penetrate
the material and look for cracks

that are at the surface and
the subsurface of the material.

The ultrasonic
testing reveals

a serious problem.

Okay, thank you.

That was another one.

What's that bring us to?

Twelve now developing cracks.

Plus, the two we already
knew about.

Fourteen cracked actuators.

Cracks were all in the same
location?

Yeah, all actuator end caps.

The identification
of a further 12 possible failed

actuators indicated we had
a, quite a serious significant

systemic issue across the fleet
not just within New Zealand,

but also worldwide.

Metallurgy testing results
are in.

What caused
the actuators on two

Eagle Airways' planes to crack
and leak hydraulic fluid?

The actuators were subject
to two independent metallurgy

examinations, one by the NTSB
and one by ourselves.

Together we hoped to identify
the origin of these cracks

and get a better understanding
of how long it took to propagate

to the point of failure.

Flight 2300's cracked actuator
is on the left.

The second one that was
discovered three months later

is on the right.

The metallurgical
testing reveals that the cracks

formed at the inside corner
of the actuators' end caps.

These machining marks here
and here,

that's where most of the cracks
in the actuators originated.

These actuators appear to have
been made

from one single piece of metal.

In order to shape that piece
of metal into the end cap,

there are tools that are used
to get the shape that you want.

These tools can leave behind
tooling marks or sometimes

referred to as machine marks.

The machining marks on their
own aren't a concern.

But investigators
discover something else

about the actuator end caps.

It looks like the inside
of the end caps were anodized.

Anodizing
is the process of submerging

metal in an electrolyte bath and
applying an electrical current.

The purpose of anodizing

is to make a hardened
outside layer

which increases the wear
durability of that component.

But it also makes it more
brittle and therefore

susceptible to cracking.

All of these things found
in the metallurgical examination

are small weaknesses but when
combined together,

made the end cap more prone
to fatigue cracking.

Detailed analysis
on the second cracked actuator

shows that after the initial
crack formed,

it took almost 12,000 cycles
to reach a critical size
and fail.

Well, just how many cycles

were these things designed
to withstand?

I'll request the original
specs.

Investigators narrow
their focus

on the Specification Control
Drawing or SCD

for the planes involved.

A specification control
drawing is a document

that outlines the operating
parameters of the component,

such as how many cycles
it's expected to last,

what is the load that this
actuator is expected
to experience.

These actuators are endurance
tested at 50,000 cycles.

Cycles refer
to the number of complete

landing gear extensions
and retractions.

How many cycles did
the cracked actuators have?

On average 18,000 cycles.

Less than half what they were
designed to endure.

So is this a problem with
the original design,

or the way it was made?

In reviewing the metallurgical
examination, we needed to

identify whether the component
was actually manufactured

in accordance with the original
uh, design requirements.

Investigators visit
the manufacturer

of the actuators.

So how were these actuators
designed?

Well, we followed the SCD
we were provided.

So the actuators should be
able to sustain 50,000 cycles?

Yeah. But, uh, 10 years ago,
we received three actuators

for overhaul.

Investigators learn
these actuators had cracks,

which led to a redesign.

If you fixed the design
of the actuator back in '97,

then why are we seeing cracks
10 years later?

Um, well, uh, these cracks
formed in the opposite end.

There were concerns
about the design

the manufacturer had given them.

The actuator manufacturer
opined that the information

provided by Beech
was inadequate.

The cycles, the loads, and
the pressures experienced

by these actuators was not
what Beech was telling them.

Did you share your concerns
with the manufacturer?

Yes. They said they'd
do a flight test.

The purpose
of the flight test

was to examine the operational
loads on the actuator.

So the flight test, what did
it tell you?

The test showed
that the actuator end cap

didn't experience just one
pressure peak per cycle,
but two.

This meant that each extension
and retraction cycle

subjected the actuator
to twice the loading as to what

it was designed for.

So if you're expecting 50,000
cycles on the actuator,

now it can only do
25,000 cycles.

Did you make any changes
as a result of this?

No, we didn't get the results
until after the accident.

Unfortunately, the lack
of communication

between an aircraft manufacturer
and the component manufacturers,

while rare, is not uncommon.

Investigators now
understand that a combination

of factors led to the landing
gear failure on Flight 2300.

Airspeed's alive. 80 knots.

After thousands
of landing gear extensions

and retractions over thousands
of flights,

the landing gear actuators were
reaching the end of their life

twice as fast as expected.

Positive rate, gear up.

Gear up.

Machining marks
on the actuator's end cap

along with metallurgical
weaknesses led to

fatigue cracking, ultimately
causing the end cap to fail.

That actuator wasn't built
to withstand the stresses

put on it. I mean, it was
destined to fail

on those pilots.

What I want to know is,
how did they pull off

such a remarkable landing?

into the pilots' actionsatk

on Eagle Airways Flight 2300
to see how they carried out

the successful emergency
landing.

When the landing gear didn't
drop, they come up with a plan.

Let's discontinue
the approach.

They immediately discontinued
the approach, good.

So, then they attempt some
troubleshooting from 6,000 feet.

When that doesn't work,
they evaluate their options.

Woodbourne is wide open.

Clear skies and we can stay
visual.

Smart move. They knew there
were better conditions

for them to keep trying to solve
the problem and prepare

for an emergency landing.

Then they do exactly
what they're supposed to do.

They attempt a manual extension
of the landing gear.

Pump handle up and down

until three green gear-down
annunciators are illuminated.

Okay, good. They followed
the QRH for a manual drop.

Sounds like they kept
the passengers updated

throughout as well.

Hey folks, we've got a bit
of a problem

with the landing gear that we're
still trying to troubleshoot.

Seeing how calm and collected
the pilots were,

their training had just
obviously kicked in

because they knew exactly
what they were doing.

Um, our, our lives were
in their hands,

and, and they came through
for us.

They were calm, didn't cause
a panic. Excellent.

Yeah, and when they noticed
the fuel getting low,

they make the call
for a wheels-up landing.

Right, and then they prepare
the plane to reduce the risk
on touchdown.

Landing gear circuit breaker, pull.

Okay everyone, brace
for landing now.

After they make contact with
the runway,

they carefully
controlled the aircraft.

The pilots did an amazing
job. It was obviously anything

but routine. It was a very
serious situation,

but they handled it
like total pros.

We were just so lucky
that day.

The plane didn't catch fire
or t didn't flip upside down.

It didn't break apart.

Luck was very much on our side.

They did everything right.

No injuries, minimal damage
to the plane.

They saved the day.

The pilots on this flight
did an outstanding job.

The fact that they were able
to do a wheels-up landing,

maintain control of the aircraft
on the runway is exemplary.

As a result
of the investigation

into the failure of Flight
2300's landing gear,

safety checks are instituted
to ensure that

the hydraulic fluid warning
system is tested,

and that these tests include
the fluid sensor.

A service bulletin mandates
the immediate inspection

of Beechcraft actuators, and
the implementation

of a thorough maintenance regime
until the actuator

is redesigned.

Until then, Eagle Airways
continues ultrasonic testing

of the actuators every
1,000 cycles, with the actuators

being replaced after
10,000 cycles.

Aviation was made safer
as a result

of this investigation because
the output

was an inspection regime that
ensured a failure like this

could not occur again.

Subtitling: difuze