Turns out, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 had a bit of a rough time landing in California. The reason? A tiny pin in its landing gear fractured, which caused the gear to give out. This happened at John Wayne-Orange County Airport in August 2023.
That particular plane, known by its registration N516AS, was making its usual journey from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to the Orange County one when things went south during the landing.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) looked into it and wanted to clear up that it wasn't a super hard landing. The crew on the flight even said everything seemed fine up until the landing. The weather wasn't exactly ideal - they had to deal with some moderate rain, shifting winds, a touch of turbulence, and limited visibility until they were pretty close to the ground. Though as they got closer to landing, things did clear up.
The two pilots chatted about making sure the touchdown was solid. The first officer even checked all their systems and saw that all the landing gear lights were showing green. This meant everything should've been in place for a safe landing.
However, once they landed, the captain felt a strong jolt and the plane veered a bit to the left. He was quick on his feet (or pedals, in this case) and managed to keep the plane on track. At first, he thought they just had a flat tire.
Some folks inside the plane managed to catch a video of the landing, which later popped up on X (the platform that took over from Twitter). You can see sparks flying from the landing gear as the plane cruises down the runway.
After landing, while they were taxiing, the crew realized something was off. The plane was leaning to the left. So, the captain took a quick look out of his window and saw the plane was resting on its left engine.
Major damage received by the 2008 built Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft (N516AS) due to heavy landing on runway 20R at Santa Ana John Wayne Airport, (SNA/KSNA), United States, amid hilary hurricane.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) August 21, 2023
Flight AS1288 came to a rest on the taxiway. No injuries reported yet. pic.twitter.com/CEkJDgWf5E
Let’s Link on my Social Media
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
Your assistance enables us to produce high-quality, independent, open, and transparent media. No matter how little, every reader's contribution is vital for the future Thanks.
EU Plane Spotters brings you high-quality aviation videos and LIVE steam. visit our social media platforms Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & TikTok for more content.
