An aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) taxiing a FedEx MD-11F at LAX took the turn too fast, burning some rubber on the nose gear. Now he has a tire change!
๐น: Mr. Gaucho
GERMAN INVESTIGATORS FIND LUFTHANSA BOEING 787-9 COLLAPSED ON ITS NOSE AFTER MAINTENANCE TEST WAS PERFORMED WITHOUT NOSE GEAR DOWNLOCK PIN.
Germany's Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has released an interim report into the June 4, 2026, accident involving a Boeing 787-9 at Frankfurt Airport, revealing that the aircraft's nose landing gear retracted during maintenance after the required nose landing gear downlock pin had not been installed.
The Dreamliner had arrived from Austin earlier that morning and was parked at Gate A15 ahead of its scheduled flight to Los Angeles. While the aircraft was being prepared for departure, two licensed maintenance technicians were troubleshooting an open fault involving the main landing gear door control system.
Following the Fault Isolation Manual (FIM), the technicians moved the landing gear selector to the UP position. However, despite the maintenance procedures clearly requiring the installation of all landing gear downlock pins before this step, the nose gear safety pin had not been fitted.
Immediately after the gear lever was selected to UP, the nose landing gear retracted unexpectedly, causing the aircraft's nose and both engine cowlings to slam onto the concrete apron. Electrical power was lost instantly, and the cockpit door automatically shut following the impact.
At the time of the accident, 28 people were onboard, including flight crew, maintenance personnel, cleaners and ground handling staff. Several others were working around the aircraft, including personnel in the cargo hold, on a high loader and near the nose landing gear.
A total of 34 people were identified as directly involved in the accident. Eleven sustained injuries, with six requiring hospital treatment. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred.
The impact caused substantial structural damage to the forward fuselage, nose landing gear bay, front cargo door area and both engine nacelles. The descending fuselage also pushed down a cargo high loader positioned beneath the forward cargo door.
Investigators found the missing nose landing gear downlock pin stored inside the avionics compartment rather than installed on the nose gear. The four main landing gear downlock pins had been correctly fitted.
The BFU noted that the operator's maintenance documentation explicitly instructed technicians to install the landing gear downlock pins before moving the landing gear lever, with direct references in both the Fault Isolation Manual and the Aircraft Maintenance Manual.
The two technicians conducting the procedure were both highly experienced and held valid Part-66 B1.1 maintenance licenses with Boeing 787 type ratings. They had started work at 06:15 UTC and were on the second day of their scheduled shift.
Flight recorder data was unavailable because the Boeing 787's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders only begin recording after engine start, destination entry, flight or a cockpit voice recorder test, meaning the maintenance event itself was not captured.
Investigation remains ongoing, and the interim report does not assign final responsibility or determine the probable cause. Further examination will focus on why the required nose gear safety pin was not installed before the maintenance procedure was carried out.
Here's some real footage on the job showing exactly what we're talking about on a 787 nose gear. Watch how the downlock pin goes in the right spot, and check that plugged hole next to it from the AD..
Boeing had already flagged this and issued a Service Bulletin to install a plug/cover in the wrong hole. FAA made it mandatory with AD 2019-23-07. Newer jets like the Lufthansa one should have had that plug from the factory. Not sure exactly how the pin ended up in the wrong place or if it wasn't Installed/seated right during the gear cycle check...
WATCH: A Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (D-ABPQ) sustained substantial damage after its nose landing gear collapsed while parked at the gate at Frankfurt Airport.
The incident led to the cancellation of today's LH450 to LAX service as airport and airline teams assess the extent of the damage. Video from the scene shows the aircraft resting on its nose after the front landing gear unexpectedly gave way while stationary.
No injuries have been reported, but a technical investigation into the cause of the collapse has been opened.