Boeing 757-223 incident near Miami, Florida, August 24, 2003
On August 24, 2003 at about 3:10 pm local time, a Boeing 757-223, registered N609AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 169 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel from the aircraft operator to identify a missing left main landing gear truck beam shield and damage to the left main landing gear truck beam which resulted in the fracture of the truck beam as a result of stress corrosion cracking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2003 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 169 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-223 · all 757-223s on the register
- Registration
- N609AA · registry record · serial 27447
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first officer stated that during preflight examination of the airplane he didn't see anything wrong with the aircraft and it was deemed suitable for flight. During taxi, the airplane suddenly dipped left and skidded to a stop. The flightcrew assessed a possible tire blowout and after contacting ground control the aircraft behind them confirmed it was the left outboard main tire and that it was smoking. Airport emergency authorities responded and noted the left main landing gear had failed. The authorities observed no smoke or fire. Maintenance personnel confirmed that the bogie on the left main gear had failed. The left main landing gear truck beam had fractured in two pieces between the aft axle and the truck pivot pin. There was no truck beam shield present with the wreckage although the attach straps were present. The fracture occurred about 14 inches forward of the aft axle centerline. Metallurgical analysis revealed the fracture of the truck beam was the result of stress corrosion cracking (SCC). The SCC was precipitated by damage to the protective finishes on the lower surface of the beam. The material of the beam is very susceptible to SCC at the high strengths specified. It is vitally important to maintain the protective finishes and prevent exposure of the base material to atmospheric conditions when loaded. According to operator, the landing gear was delivered new with the airplane on July 29, 1996 and had accumulated 7,517 cycles since new. There was no truck beam shield present with the wreckage although the attach straps were present. The Boeing 757 configuration deviation list (CDL), which was current at the time of the incident, lists items that can be missing for flight. The main landing gear truck beam shields may be missing for flight. There was no requirement to inspect the landing gear for damage prior to dispatch with a truck beam shield missing. Maintenance personnel had not identified the missing truck beam shield on the left main landing gear of the airplane and the shield was not on the current list of missing items under the CDL.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,378 hours in all; 1,924 in this make and model; 213 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 15,500 as pilot in command; 3,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 12, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,425 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 5,630 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,608 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 24, 2003; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 251,000 lb
- Seats: 187
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535-E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 3:10 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KMIA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 163 |
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.