Status:	Final
Date:	09 SEP 1999
Time:	11:38 CDT
Type:	McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31
Operator:	Trans World Airlines - TWA
Registration:	N993Z
C/n / msn:	47082/181
First flight:	1967
Total airframe hrs:	77374
Engines:	2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 41
Total:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 46
Airplane damage:	Written off
Airplane fate:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Nashville Metropolitan Airport, TN (BNA) (United States of America)
Phase:	Landing (LDG)
Nature:	Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Saint Louis-Lambert International Airport, MO (STL/KSTL), United States of America
Destination airport:	Nashville International Airport, TN (BNA/KBNA), United States of America
Flightnumber:	600

Narrative:
Flight 600 had been cleared for a visual approach to runway 02 Left. On turning to finals, the sink rate was between 600 to 800 feet. The airplane touched down hard on the right main landing gear. The aircraft bounced and landed back. On the second impact the crew felt a vibration, the left wing started to settle and made contact with the ground. The pilot-in-command stated right before touchdown, he knew the FO was not going to make a good landing. The airplane touched down hard, but he did not expect a hard landing of that magnitude. He immediately got on the flight controls and remained on the controls until the
airplane came to a stop.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "A preexisting crack on the left main landing gear outer cylinder housing and the first officer's failure to maintain the proper rate of descent resulting in a hard landing on touchdown, and subsequent total failure and separation of the left main landing gear on landing rollout. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-in-commands improper supervision of the first officer during the approach phase of the landing."

Sources:
» NTSB