Boeing 767 incident near Newark, New Jersey, September 18, 2009
On September 18, 2009, a Boeing 767, registered N66051, suffered minor damage in an incident during standing near Newark, New Jersey (Newark Liberty Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 235 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of Main Landing Gear (MLG) truck beam was due to contamination of the inner surface corrosion protective layers from hydraulic fluid and deice fluid that resulted in corrosion and intergranular stress corrosion cracking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2009
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Liberty Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 235 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767 424ER · all 767s on the register
- Registration
- N66051 · registry record · serial 29446
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 17, 2009, a Boeing 767-400 experienced a fracture of the left main landing gear (MLG) truck beam while the aircraft was stopped on a taxiway D with parking brake set prior to takeoff at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The aircraft was being operated by Continental Airlines as a passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey to Frankfurt, Germany. None of the occupants were injured and the airplane sustained minor damage. The airplane had accumulated 6,062 cycles and 40,581 hours in about 9 years of service. Examination of the left MLG revealed two circumferential fractures that divided the assembly into three pieces. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surface revealed intergranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC) emanating from a corrosion pit on the lower inside diameter of the truck beam. Corrosion protection of the truck beam interior surface consists of a three part system: cadmium plating, primer, and CIC. Several areas on the inner surfaces exhibited deterioration of the protective finishes. Examination revealed damage ranged from paint blisters, to exposed metal substrate, to significant corrosion and pitting. Sections of the primer in the forward section of the truck beam had a soft wrinkled appearance and had delaminated from the substrate. Several samples of finishes and lubricants were removed from the fractured truck beam and analyzed for chemical composition. Organics residues consistent with BMS 3-11 hydraulic fluid and components of runway de-icing fluids were found in the samples. The failure of the truck beam occurred due to the presence of hydraulic fluid and deicing fluid in the truck beam interior. The long term exposure to hydraulic fluid and deicing fluid led to delamination of the CIC and primer from the interior surface leading to corrosion of the cadmium plating. Once the cadmium plating was consumed, corrosion of the steel followed. Liberated corrosion and delamination products plugged the aft drain hole trapping more water inside the truck beam that lead to pitting corrosion on the lower inside diameter of the truck beam aft of the pivot bushing. The tensile stress and the presence of water led to intergranular SCC. Once the crack grew to a critical size, a circumferential fracture occurred and separated the aft portion of the truck beam.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during standing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 327,600 lb
- Seats: 252
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ
- Destination: FRA Frankfurt, Germ
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 10 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 223 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.