Boeing 737-8K2 incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, February 4, 2022
On February 4, 2022 at about 9:19 am local time, a 2001 Boeing 737-8K2, registered N817SY, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near Las Vegas, Nevada (Harry Reid International Airpo airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 56 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of the right main landing gear initiated by liquid metal embrittlement by cadmium at arc burn locations in the outer cylinder tooling hole area. The arc burns were likely the result of operator error during stylus cadmium plating operations during overhaul.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 2022 · about 9:19 am local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · Harry Reid International Airpo · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 56 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-8K2, built 2001 · all 737-8K2s on the register
- Registration
- N817SY · no longer on the register · serial 30392
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon retracting the landing gear after takeoff, the flight crew received a right main landing gear (RMLG) red position indicator light, indicating that the RMLG was not in the up and locked position. The crew elected to return to the departure airport and the RMLG red indicator light remained illuminated until the crew selected the gear DOWN position for landing. During the landing roll, the RMLG collapsed, resulting in minor damage when the right engine impacted the runway. It is likely that the RMLG was partially fractured after takeoff which prevented it from retracting to the up and locked position. Examination of the RMLG revealed that the outer cylinder fractured through a tooling hole. Examination of the fracture revealed the presence of fatigue cracking that initiated at the intersection of the tooling hole inner diameter and the outer cylinder inner diameter. Four areas of arc burn damage were identified in the tooling hole area, two of which were at the crack initiation sites. Cadmium identified at the intergranular separation initiation sites indicated the crack initiated due to liquid metal embrittlement by cadmium at the arc burn locations before propagating in fatigue. The RMLG was last overhauled about 10 years before the incident, during which the outer cylinder was replated with cadmium after repair. It is likely that the arc burning in the tooling hole area was caused by a hand-held stylus cadmium plating operation performed in the tooling hole when the stylus (anode) made contact with the outer cylinder (cathode), initiating an arc. A nonconductive sleeve normally installed on the anode was either not present or deteriorated, allowing physical contact between the anode and cathode.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,869 hours in all; 1,471 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 3,195 as pilot in command; 1,365 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 31, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,141 hours in all; 74 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 1,243 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 17, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 68,382 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 3, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 20,769 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 58,729 hours total
- Operator: Sun Country Airlines, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 8:19 am
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26R, 14,515 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.46 inHg
Weather report (METAR): KLAS 040856Z 02009KT 10SM CLR 04/M11 A3046 RMK AO2 SLP319 T00391106 50011 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 50 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on March 13, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Data Recorder - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Data Recorder - Attachment 1 (Compressed Tabular Data for Incident Flight) | zip file | Download |
| 3 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Rmlg Maintenance Records | PDF, 64 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Boeing Equipment Quality Analysis Lab Report | PDF, 41 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Pilot's Statement-captain | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Pilot's Statement-first Officer | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.