Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 lands safely despite failed nose gear

After attempting a first go-around to troubleshoot and complete checklists without success in manually lowering the gear, they informed Atlanta flight control and declared an emergency. Despite several attempts to extend the gear using normal and manual methods during a second approach to runway 36L, they landed without it. The aircraft touched down about 1,400 feet from the runway's start and stopped just before the taxiway with emergency crews spraying water on the nose wheel area.

The NTSB report identified a fatigue crack in the upper lock link as the cause of the incident. The crack began along scratches on a forged aluminum part's underside, likely caused by tool damage. A contributing factor was cited as non-compliance with Service Bulletin 717-32-002 by an overhaul facility.

Maintenance records indicated that this upper lock link was made in February 2001 and underwent several inspections and repairs before being installed on aircraft N955AT in March 2014 until the accident occurred. According to NTSB findings: “Fatigue cracks initiated along scratch features which were observed on the lower surface at parting line of forged aluminum alloy component... These scratch features likely acted as stress concentration areas for crack initiation.”

The Boeing 717 involved is approximately 24.7 years old and configured to carry up to 110 passengers across three classes. Initially ordered by AirTran Airways in 1995, it became part of Southwest Airlines' fleet following their acquisition of AirTran before being transferred to Delta in 2014. Currently, Delta Air Lines operates a total of eighty Boeing 717s with an average age of around twenty-three years.