Status:	Final
Date:	27 APR 1995
Time:	23:26 UTC
Type:	McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Operator:	Airtours International
Registration:	G-DEVR
C/n / msn:	49941/1793
First flight:	1990
Total airframe hrs:	18236
Cycles:	6386
Engines:	2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Passengers:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 171
Total:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 178
Airplane damage:	Substantial
Airplane fate:	Repaired
Location:	Manchester International Airport (MAN) (United Kingdom)
Phase:	Landing (LDG)
Nature:	Int'l Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Las Palmas-Airport de Gran Canaria (LPA/GCLP), Spain
Destination airport:	Manchester International Airport (MAN/EGCC), United Kingdom
Flightnumber:	418

Narrative:
The aircraft landed at Manchester at 23:16 and the commander took control from the first officer during the latter part of the landing roll. As he applied increased pressure to the brakes there was a loud bang and the left wing dropped as the left main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft came quickly to a halt and the commander decided to disembark the passengers via the front passenger entrance door and stairs. The cabin supervisor experienced a problem with the stairs and, after a discussion with the commander, the passengers were evacuated via the front and rear service doors using the escape slides. An orderly evacuation ensued with only minor injuries being sustained; all passengers had left the aircraft by 23:26.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "(1) The left MLG outer cylinder failed on the application of bending loads resulting from normal braking due to the presence of a fatigue crack, 5 mm long by 1.25 mm deep, located on the front face of the cylinder, close to a change in section, where bending stresses were maximum.; (2) The fatigue origin was associated with surface features produced by the gritblasting used to prepare the steel surface for high current density cadmium plating.; (3) Loads not predicted during the MLG design were encountered early in the aircraft's life when 'gear walking', a MLG foreandaft vibration mode, was encountered. As a result fatigue initiated and propagated through the immediate compressive subsurface layer produced by shotpeening and designed to improve fatigue resistance."

Sources:
» Air Safety Week 15.05.1995 (p. 3)
» International Herald Tribune
» Scramble 193(78)
» Times 29.4.95