Aircraft
More Landing Gear Problems Found in Q400
An emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by Transport Canada yesterday calls for further inspection of Bombardier Q400 main landing gear (MLG) after lin

An emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by Transport Canada yesterday calls for further inspection of Bombardier Q400 main landing gear (MLG) after line checks uncovered two cases of cam mechanism failure in the gear's alternate extension system (AES). The cam mechanism operates the cable to open the main landing gear door and releases the MLG uplock in sequence. In cases where an operator must use the alternate extension system to deploy the MLG, the failure of the cam mechanism on one side will lead to an asymmetrical landing configuration, said the AD.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the cam mechanism might have failed and remained dormant after a previous AES operation. The mechanism might not have fully returned to the normal position, in which case normal powered landing gear operation could introduce enough load to fracture the cam mechanism or rupture the door release cable.