Date:	Monday 29 December 2014
Time:	13:34 LT
Type:	Boeing 747-443
Owner/operator:	Virgin Atlantic Airways
Registration:	G-VROM
MSN:	32339/1275
Year of manufacture:	2001
Engine model:	General Electric CF6-80C2B1F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 465
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Category:	Serious incident
Location:	London Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	London Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK)
Destination airport:	Las Vegas McCarran Airport, NV (KLAS)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
Virgin Atlantic Flight VS43 took off from London Gatwick Airportat 11:43 hours local time, bound for Las Vegas.

After takeoff, the aircraft, developed problems retracting the undercarriage. The flight climbed to FL320 while heading in a westerly direction. The flight entered a holding pattern over the sea near Barnstable from 12:08 until 12:54 when it headed back to Gatwick Airport. It descended to 2275 feet and carried out a pass over the runway at 13:39. The flight then entered a holding pattern at 2275 feet to the south of Gatwick.

Then another low pass was made over the runway at Gatwick at 1275 feet at 14:41. The flight then entered a second holding pattern over the south coast of England at 5300 feet until it finally continued to land at 15:44. After landing the aircraft leaned heavily to the right.

Photos of the aircraft showed that the right hand main undercarriage leg had become stuck sideways and could not be fully deployed on landing.

An actuator had been invariantly installed inverted during earlier maintenance.

The AAIB have made four recommendations, all directed to Boeing:
• To enhancing the AMM description of the maintenance task and the use of the associated equipment
•To modify the actuator to prevent incorrect installation
•To modify the design so that a 5 kg 'strikeboard' is not released, with the associated third party hazard, when the alternative gear extension system is used
•To enhance the Quick Reference Handbook instruction for crew in these circumstances.

1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/56162bc040f0b6585f000005/Boeing_747-443_G-VROM_10-15.pdf
2. CAA; http://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-registration/
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30625945
4. https://www.flightradar24.com//data/flights/vs43/#526ac78
5. https://www.planespotters.net/Aviation_Photos/photo.show?id=513577
6. http://aerossurance.com/safety-management/747-installation-error/
7. http://aerossurance.com/safety-management/aaib-boeing-not-adequate/
8. https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/573b17dd40f0b6155900000f/G-VROM_Safety_Recommendation_document.pdf

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


26 July 2005	G-VROM	Virgin Atlantic Airways	0	100 NM Northeast of Nassau		min
Turbulence

#OTD in 2014: We look at how an actuator was installed upside down, the operator's thorough investigation and the AAIB's recommendations to Boeing (and their poor response).https://t.co/e4vUudVh1x #aviationsafety #flightsafety #aviationmaintenance #humanfactors pic.twitter.com/3SigonRG3u

— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) December 29, 2020

Blimey ~so pleased #VS43 landed OK & everyone is OK. It flew over #Southampton where someone took this PIC! (Not me) pic.twitter.com/nA8S6GgHnS

— PC Mark Walsh (@HantsPCMark) December 29, 2014

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Dec-2014 15:51	dfix1	Added
29-Dec-2014 16:08	harro	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Damage, Narrative, ]
29-Dec-2014 16:44	harro	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, ]
29-Dec-2014 18:39	Chieftain	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
29-Dec-2014 19:21	Geno	Updated [Cn, Total occupants, Location, Source, ]
29-Dec-2014 19:43	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ]
29-Dec-2014 19:51	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, ]
30-Dec-2014 19:31	harro	Updated [Time, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, ]
14-Jan-2015 20:22	harro	Updated [Narrative, ]
08-Oct-2015 13:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
25-May-2016 15:22	Aerossurance	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
27-May-2016 15:33	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, ]
28-Dec-2020 11:35	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Accident report, ]
29-Dec-2020 09:48	Aerossurance	Updated [Embed code, Accident report, ]