May 27 (UPI) -- The National Transportation Safety Board revealed Tuesday that "excessive grinding" during maintenance work is what caused an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800's left landing gear to collapse during landing, two years ago in Southern California.
In its final report, the NTSB determined that "maintenance personnel's excessive grinding of the left main landing gear's aft trunnion pin during machining, which imparted heat damage to the base metal, led to the fatigue cracking that caused the pin to fracture during landing."
The plane's left landing gear collapsed on Aug. 20, 2023, as the Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle touched down at John Wayne-Orange County Airport. According to the pilot, it felt like a "firm jolt" and that the left side of the plane "slammed into the runway."
None of the 106 passengers and six crew on board were injured. The 737 suffered significant damage to its left wing, which was repaired. The aircraft returned to service four months later.
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