Landing Gear Collapse on Alaska Airlines 737 Caused by ‘Excessive Grinding’ During Maintenance

“Excessive grinding” during maintenance led to a metal pin cracking and eventually breaking causing the left landing gear to collapse on an Alaska Airlines flight in 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a final report Tuesday.

On August 20, 2023, the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 was landing at John Wayne-Orange County Airport in California when the gear failed, sending sparks flying as the engine scraped the runway.

There were 112 passengers and crew on board, who had to evacuate from stairs onto a taxiway, but no injuries were reported.

When the plane touched down, the captain reported feeling a “firm jolt” and the plane was “pulling reasonably hard” to the left. (Read more from “Landing Gear Collapse on Alaska Airlines 737 Caused by ‘Excessive Grinding’ During Maintenance” HERE)

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