Narrative:A British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner suffered a collapsed nose gear at London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL). Safety pin in front landing gear in wrong hole while changing some parts, was the cause of the collapse. No reported injuries and the aircraft had last performed cargo flight BAW881 from Moscow on June 16th. It had been parked out on the airport ever since its arrival. The aircraft was loading freight prior to departing for Frankfurt, Germany (FRA/EDDF) on Flight BA906.
The aircraft was being loaded with cargo in preparation for a flight to Frankfurt, and whilst carrying out a Dispatch Deviation Guide (DDG) procedure to clear maintenance messages relating to an existing Acceptable Deferred Defect (ADD), the Nose Landing Gear (NLG) retracted. This caused damage to the lower nose, NLG doors and engine cowlings. Door 2 left (Door 2L) struck the top platform of the mobile steps, positioned at the door, which resulted in the door separating from the fuselage and one person, operating the cargo loader positioned at the forward cargo hold, received minor injuries.
The DDG procedure required the cockpit landing gear selection lever to be cycled with hydraulic power applied to the aircraft. To prevent the landing gear from retracting, the procedure required pins to be inserted in the nose and main landing gear downlocks. However, the NLG downlock pin was installed in the NLG downlock apex pin bore which was adjacent to the correct location to install the downlock pin. When the landing gear selector was cycled the NLG retracted.
An Airworthiness Directive had been issued, with a 36-month compliance from 16 January 2020, to install an insert over the apex pin bore to prevent incorrect installation of the downlock pin, but this had not yet been implemented on G-ZBJB.
Classification:
Landing gear collapse
Damaged on the ground
Sources:
»
AAIB
Photos

accident date:
18-06-2021type: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
registration: G-ZBJB

accident date:
18-06-2021type: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
registration: G-ZBJB

accident date:
18-06-2021type: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
registration: G-ZBJB
Video, social media
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 London-Heathrow Airport to Frankfurt International Airport as the crow flies is 648 km (405 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
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.