ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-8-202Q Dash 8 P2-ANK Port Moresby
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Friday 4 August 2017
Time:09:22
Type:Silhouette image of generic DH8B model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
de Havilland Canada DHC-8-202Q Dash 8
Operator:LinkPNG
Registration: P2-ANK
MSN: 461
First flight: 1997-04-12 (20 years 4 months)
Total airframe hrs:36000
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123D
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 28
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 31
Aircraft damage: Minor
Aircraft fate: Repaired
Location:72 km (45 mls) NW of Port Moresby (   Papua New Guinea)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport (POM/AYPY), Papua New Guinea
Destination airport:Tari Airport (TIZ/AYTA), Papua New Guinea
Flightnumber:PX864
Narrative:
The DHC-8-202 aircraft, registration P2-ANK, owned by Air Niugini and operated by LinkPNG, completed flight 713 from Bulolo to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. According to the Technical Log, the aircraft was serviceable when it arrived at Port Moresby at 07:31 hours.
The aircraft was scheduled for flight PX864, from Port Moresby to Tari on the same day. The pilots carried out a normal pre-flight inspection of the aircraft before it was released to service by the licensed engineer on duty. After obtaining a clearance from air traffic control (ATC), P2-ANK departed from runway 14L at 09:04, then made a right turn, and commenced tracking on the 298°R of the Port Moresby VOR for Tari, under IFR procedures. There were 28 passengers, two pilots, and one flight attendant on board. At about 09:20 while 39 nm west-northwest of Port Moresby and passing 20,000 ft during the climb, both pilots heard a bang sound, and felt the aircraft shudder.
The copilot reported that he first thought that it was an engine failure. However, visual checks of the engines and instrument gauges showed that both engines were operating normally. He then did a further quick scan of the instrument panel and said that he saw the "unsafe left hand main landing gear door indication" amber light illuminated. He said that he immediately advised the pilot in command (PIC). The copilot then informed ATC of their intention to return to Port Moresby, and that a normal approach and landing was expected.
The flight attendant then alerted both pilots that the left main landing gear door was open. That confirmed the reason for the illuminated left main landing gear door OPEN Advisory light. The PIC referred to the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) as a precaution, and descended to remain below 15,000 ft, and not above 130 knots.
At 10 nm from Port Moresby, the copilot requested clearance from ATC to track west of Port Moresby to the Daugo Island area, to hold for 30-40 minutes and burn-off fuel, due to the maximum allowable landing weight.
After burning off the excess fuel to achieve a landing weight of 15,650 kgs, they requested a clearance from ATC to continue descent to Jacksons for a landing.
After obtaining a clearance to land the copilot selected the landing gear down. With the landing gear fully extended, the cockpit indication was three green lights illuminated. The copilot conducted a cross-check against the alternate landing gear selection, which showed three green lights illuminated. They proceed to land, assured that the nose- and main- landing gear were safe. At 10:46, the aircraft landed on runway 14L, and was cleared to cross runway 14R to the parking area.
The PIC reported that it was at that moment they realized that everyone on the tarmac was looking at the aircraft, particularly the left side. It wasn’t until the passengers and the crew disembarked, that the crew were advised by the engineers that panels were missing aft of the left exhaust nacelle.
Further inspection found that the left main landing gear number-two tyre was deflated and damaged. It was apparent that when the tyre blew out in the wheel well, it caused substantial damage to the main structure on the inside of the nacelle. It was then the crew realised that the bang sound they heard was the tyre exploding in flight at 20,000 ft.

Probable Cause:

It is likely that the FOD damage occurred when a jagged rock impacted the non-serial sidewall of the number two tyre during the landing at Bulolo on 3 August 2017. The aircraft returned to Jacksons safely, but the damage was not found during post-and pre-flight inspections. During the subsequent flight after departure from Jacksons on 4 August, the casing plies in the impacted area fractured, propagating from the serial side sidewall along the cord direction to tread area and the non-serial side sidewall. It is likely that the significantly damaged and weakened casing of the tyre, and the differential of the atmospheric pressure compared with the pressure within the tyre, caused the tyre to blow out, resulting in substantial damage to the left nacelle.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: AIC PNG
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 153 days (5 months)
Accident number: AIC 17-1002
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Tire failure
Forced landing on runway

Photos

photo of DHC-8-202Q-Dash-8-P2-ANK
accident date: 04-08-2017
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-202Q Dash 8
registration: P2-ANK
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Port Moresby-Jacksons International Airport to Tari Airport as the crow flies is 615 km (385 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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