Eastern Airlines Flight 274
Encyclopedia
Eastern Air Lines Flight 274 made a 2 point landing at Miami International Airport
(KIMA) on the morning of January 18, 1978 when its nose wheel locked in the up position.
The plane was a Boeing 727-25
(registration N8126N). Flight 274 was en route from Palm Beach International Airport
(KPBI), West Palm Beach, Florida
to Atlanta, Georgia
, and then on to St. Louis, Missouri
with 70 passengers and 6 crew members.
is unlocked when in the up position.
. Attempts to crank the nose wheel down by hand had failed. It was at that point Captain Nolan explained to the passengers that the best place for attempting the emergency landing would be Miami International Airport
.
Captain Nolan made a pass over the control tower at Miami International to allow the ground personnel to inspect the wheel doors. After doing so, the passengers were alerted as to the next attempt to open the wheel doors. The aircraft was placed into three engine
stalls
, allowing the aircraft to drop sharply. This was done in an unsuccessful attempt to jolt the doors open.
Shortly afterward, flight 274 was cleared to land using Runway 12. The decision not to spread foam
on the runway
was due to two factors. First, the jet was below a full fuel load. Second, the point of ground contact would be in the nose area, away from the fuel tanks. Captain Nolan advised passengers to assume crash positions
one minute prior to landing.
The aircraft tracked the glide slope
smoothly according to eyewitnesses. The main wheels touched down, and as the aircraft proceeded down the runway during braking, the nose was held level. The nose slowly dropped, and upon contact, the aircraft maintained a straight course on the runway, coming to rest near its end at 11:05 am. Emergency chutes were deployed and all 76 passengers and crew exited the plane safely with no serious injuries reported.
. The rod sheared in the middle, possibly due to stress or a related cause. This was said to be an extremely rare problem. Minor damage to the aircraft's nose gear area was repaired and the aircraft eventually returned to service.
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
(KIMA) on the morning of January 18, 1978 when its nose wheel locked in the up position.
The plane was a Boeing 727-25
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
(registration N8126N). Flight 274 was en route from Palm Beach International Airport
Palm Beach International Airport
Palm Beach International Airport is a public airport located 3 nautical miles west of Palm Beach, Florida, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and serves Palm Beach County. The airport is operated and maintained by Palm Beach County Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is available...
(KPBI), West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and then on to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
with 70 passengers and 6 crew members.
Situation
A few minutes after taking off from Palm Beach, the captain of the flight, Wayne Nolan, discovered that the nose wheel had locked into the up position. This would prevent the nose wheel from lowering for landing. An aircraft's landing gearUndercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
is unlocked when in the up position.
Attempts to release
Flight 274 had been airborne for five minutes when Captain Nolan announced to the passengers that he would be making an emergency landingEmergency landing
An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...
. Attempts to crank the nose wheel down by hand had failed. It was at that point Captain Nolan explained to the passengers that the best place for attempting the emergency landing would be Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
.
Captain Nolan made a pass over the control tower at Miami International to allow the ground personnel to inspect the wheel doors. After doing so, the passengers were alerted as to the next attempt to open the wheel doors. The aircraft was placed into three engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
stalls
Stall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
, allowing the aircraft to drop sharply. This was done in an unsuccessful attempt to jolt the doors open.
Shortly afterward, flight 274 was cleared to land using Runway 12. The decision not to spread foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
on the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
was due to two factors. First, the jet was below a full fuel load. Second, the point of ground contact would be in the nose area, away from the fuel tanks. Captain Nolan advised passengers to assume crash positions
Brace position
Bracing or crash position is an instruction that can be given to prepare for a crash, such as on an aircraft, the instruction to brace for impact is often given if the aircraft must make an emergency landing over land or water....
one minute prior to landing.
The aircraft tracked the glide slope
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
smoothly according to eyewitnesses. The main wheels touched down, and as the aircraft proceeded down the runway during braking, the nose was held level. The nose slowly dropped, and upon contact, the aircraft maintained a straight course on the runway, coming to rest near its end at 11:05 am. Emergency chutes were deployed and all 76 passengers and crew exited the plane safely with no serious injuries reported.
Analysis
Investigators were able to attribute the nose wheel's locked condition to a small metal rod. This metal rod activates the unlocking mechanism for the nose gearUndercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
. The rod sheared in the middle, possibly due to stress or a related cause. This was said to be an extremely rare problem. Minor damage to the aircraft's nose gear area was repaired and the aircraft eventually returned to service.