Air transportation safety investigation A21Q0138
The TSB has completed this investigation. The report was published on 4 October 2023.
Table of contents
Right main landing gear failure on landing
Air Canada
Airbus A330-343, C-GFAF
Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec
The occurrence
On , the Air Canada Airbus A330-343 (registration C-GFAF, serial number 0277) operating as flight number AC901, was conducting an instrument flight rules flight from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Florida, United States, to Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Quebec. A few seconds after touchdown on Runway 06L, the bogie beam failed on the right main landing gear. At the same time, indications of a right main landing gear malfunction were displayed in the cockpit. The aircraft continued its landing roll, with the right gear shock strut scraping the runway, and came to rest on the runway.
The crew requested assistance from aircraft rescue and firefighting services. Significant landing gear damage, which made towing the aircraft impossible, was observed. The airport authority closed Runway 06L and dispatched assistance vehicles to transport the passengers and crew members to the terminal. Runway 06L was re-opened the next day, at 0530 Eastern Standard Time. Damage was limited to the right main landing gear. There were no injuries.
Media materials
News release
Undetected damage led to 2021 landing gear failure in Montréal, Quebec
Read the news release
Investigation information
Map showing the location of the occurrence
Investigator-in-charge
Thierry Bélanger started his career as a structural technician at the Trenton Military base, where he worked on the Boeing 707 and Hercules, before moving to the Bagotville base where he worked on the CF18. In 1995, Thierry went to Air Canada, where one of his tasks was to work on the refurbishment of Northwest Airlines’ DC-9. In 1996, Thierry joined Bombardier where he held various positions, including those of specialist in the mechanical and avionics customer response centre for the Global Express program, as well as a technician, team leader, supervisor, inspector, preflight mechanic. Since 2006, Thierry has provided technical support, consisting mainly of troubleshooting on all systems of Bombardier business aircraft and more recently on the Airbus A220. Thierry was also part of the rapid response team (GO Team) for incident and accident investigations for the Airbus A220.
Class of investigation
This is a class 3 investigation. These investigations analyze a small number of safety issues, and may result in recommendations. Class 3 investigations are generally completed within 450 days. For more information, see the Policy on Occurrence Classification.
TSB investigation process
There are 3 phases to a TSB investigation
- Field phase: a team of investigators examines the occurrence site and wreckage, interviews witnesses and collects pertinent information.
- Examination and analysis phase: the TSB reviews pertinent records, tests components of the wreckage in the lab, determines the sequence of events and identifies safety deficiencies. When safety deficiencies are suspected or confirmed, the TSB advises the appropriate authority without waiting until publication of the final report.
- Report phase: a confidential draft report is approved by the Board and sent to persons and corporations who are directly concerned by the report. They then have the opportunity to dispute or correct information they believe to be incorrect. The Board considers all representations before approving the final report, which is subsequently released to the public.
For more information, see our Investigation process page.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.