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| Date: | Sunday 17 November 2013 |
| Time: | 08:30 |
| Type: |  Boeing 767-343ER (WL) |
| Owner/operator: | Condor |
| Registration: | D-ABUK |
| MSN: | 30009/746 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 271 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | near Cape Town International Airport (CPT/FACT) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Frankfurt International Airport (FRA/EDDF) |
| Cape Town International Airport (CPT/FACT) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Condor Flight DE6228, a Boeing 767-300, D-ABUK, suffered the failure of the left main gear drag brace jury strut spring on approach to Cape Town. The aircraft landed safely. The spring landed in a yard. The failure was attributed to a fatigue crack.
The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300, flight number DE6228 operated by Condor Airlines with registration D-ABUK, was involved in a commercial air transportation operation. The aircraft departed normally from FRA at 1949Z on 16 November 2013. The aircraft was engaged in an international seasonal route flight between Frankfurt and Cape Town.
The crew did not encounter any problems with the aircraft for the duration of the flight. After 11 hours and 22 minutes’ flight time, the aircraft landed normally at Cape Town International Airport (FACT) at 0711Z on 17 November 2013. However, at approximately 0645Z the owner (who also happens to be a commercial pilot) of a house 14 km away from FACT discovered a spring in his garden. Prior to finding the spring the owner heard a loud sound and went outside the house to investigate. Upon investigation he found the spring, which, he presumed, belonged to the aircraft he saw fly over his house. The owner contacted FACT Air Traffic Control (ATC) and reported finding the spring in his garden. The owner also reported the matter to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which in turn reported the incident to Accident Incident Investigation Division (AIID).
An investigation into the matter determined that the aircraft landing gear was extended on the approach flight path in preparation for the landing, and it is assumed this was the time the spring broke off from its attachment point, fell straight down to the ground and embedded itself in the garden soil of the house in the Welgelegen suburb of Cape Town.
Findings:
1. The aircraft was certified and maintained in accordance with existing EASA regulations and approved procedures.
2. The aircraft was operating under the provisions of an operator’s license in accordance with the International Air Services License Act.
3. The aircraft operator was in possession of a foreign operator’s permit.
4. The spring was retrieved and sent for metallurgical analysis, where it was determined that a fatigue fracture had occurred on the left-hand main landing gear drag brace jury strut spring.
5. Taking into account that fatigue fractures propagate over time, it is clear that the fracture had been initiated an indeterminable period of operational time prior to final fracture.
6. The captain and first officer were in compliance with the flight and duty time regulations.
7. The captain and first officer were qualified for IFR day and night flights.
8. The flight was conducted in accordance with the procedures in the company operations manual.
9. The aircraft was equipped with an FDR and a CVR, as required by regulation.
10. No FDR or CVR download was carried out, as it would not have been relevant to this investigation.
11. The crew were unaware of the missing drag brace spring, as it is a mechanical part that is not linked to an electrical warning system on the Boeing 767-300.
12. The missing drag brace spring did not affect the functionality of the main landing gear system and the aircraft landed safety.
13. The drag brace spring was installed at the last overhaul which took place in June 2009 and that is also when the last maintenance was carried out on the spring.
14. The spring is a “NO GO”(aircraft is not allowed to operate with a missing drag brace spring) item and that is why the aircraft was grounded at FACT until a replacement part was fitted.
Probable Cause:
Sheared left main landing gear drag brace jury strut spring
Contributory Factors:
Metal fatigue failure of drag brace jury strut spring.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://caasanwebsitestorage.blob.core.windows.net/accident-report-archive/1018.pdf
BFU 6X008-13
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/7769379 (Photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 29 January 2016 | D-ABUK | Condor | 0 | Cape Town International Airport (CPT/FACT) | |
unk |
| 20 July 2017 | D-ABUK | Condor | 0 | 330 nautical miles (nm) north of Kangerlussuaq (BGSF) |  |
min |
| Fumes/smoke/odor event | ||||||
| 22 July 2017 | D-ABUK | Condor | 0 | over North Sea, En route from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to Frankfurt |  |
min |
| Fumes/smoke/odor event | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo (C) South Africa CAA, Cape Town, November 17th 2013
Photo: (C) South Africa CAA, Cape Town International Airport (CPT/FACT), November 17th 2013
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Oct-2025 19:04 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Photo, ] |
| 30-Oct-2025 19:07 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Category, Accident report, Photo, ] |
| 30-Oct-2025 19:08 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Category, ] |
| 30-Oct-2025 19:15 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Registration, Source, ] |
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