Cargolux 748F Hard Landing

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J
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Cargolux 748F Hard Landing

Postby J » Thu Sep 29, 2016 1:12 pm

Interesting that the hard landing took place 2 weeks prior to being discovered during an inspection and was apparently so severe they needed to use replacement landing gear from a 744F to taxi it over to the repair facility.


Hard landing in Libreville

Open-plane surgery for Cargolux Boeing

Repair works on a Cargolux Boeing 747 are still ongoing, with some 40 experts on site at a hangar in Findel to help get the aircraft off the ground again as quickly as possible.

According to executive vice president of maintenance and engineering Onno Pietersma, the repairs are progressing according to plan. Boeing experts, as well as local Cargolux engineers and technicians are working on the LX-VCC to repair damage suffered during a hard landing.

The incident took place in Libreville, Gabon, but the extent of the damage was not discovered until nearly two weeks later, during an inspection at the Luxembourg maintenance facilities.

The fuselage of the plane was damaged, with the aluminium shell dented in a number of places. However, the issue was not just superficial, with part of the plane's supporting structure damaged. The main landing gear on the left side also had to be removed and repaired.

The undertaking to repair this variety of issues is no easy feat. In order to transport the 747-8F to the hangar, it was equipped with the landing gear of an old 747-400F. The 76-metre long aircraft, however, did not fit fully into the maintenance hall, and a temporary extension was erected to cover its tail.

Cause of hard landing unclear

The tail fins had to be removed, as they would have been exposed to winds. Through bending forces this could have caused further damage to the hull and made repairs even more complicated.

Thirteen new hull panels need to be installed, with parts ordered from Boeing.

Most crucially, however, the plane's 12-metre keel beam, the Boeing's spine connecting the front with the tail, needs to be repaired. To allow this, the plane has been jacked up.

This also allows for repairs on the landing gear to progress. However, here the airline was faced with another problem. Normally, landing gear repairs are not needed until a plane is around 10 years old.

Because the first 747-8F model was only rolled out in 2010, there are no set procedures for maintenance. Cargolux, Boeing and maintenance and services company Revima first had to develop a new protocol.

By the end of the month, the restored landing gear is expected to be installed.

Still to be determined is where the plane will be varnished.

Also unclear at this point is the cause of the hard landing in Libreville. An investigation is ongoing, Pietersma commented. The main priority, he added, was to get the plane up and running.

“This repair is not unusual,” he said, “it is merely a very big task.”

New 747-8F joins the fleet

While one plane of its fleet is undergoing repairs, Cargolux last week welcomed its 30th Boeing from Seattle, which was greeted in Luxembourg with a traditional water cannon salute.

The LX-VCL features a portrait of Joe Sutter, in honour of the man who designed the 747 in the 1970s.

It is the 12th of 14 747-8Fs ordered by Cargolux to be delivered, and the 30th Boeing overall received by the Luxembourg freight airline in its history.

The delivery brought Cargolux's fleet up to 23 planes, also including 11 747-400Fs.

http://www.wort.lu/en/business/hard-lan ... d_articles

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Gabriel
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Re: Cargolux 748F Hard Landing

Postby Gabriel » Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:07 pm


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J
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Location: South of Canada

Re: Cargolux 748F Hard Landing

Postby J » Thu Sep 29, 2016 6:00 pm

Sorry about that. On my browser the date at the top of the screen shows today's date - further down you are correct, it shows last year. It flew out of JFK earlier today.
https://planefinder.net/data/aircraft/LX-VCC

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3WE
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Re: Cargolux 748F Excellent Landing

Postby 3WE » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:47 pm

Fixed.
Commercial Pilot, Vandelay Industries, Inc., Plant Nutrient Division.


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