Pacific
Well-known member
HX MD-11 China Eastern Airlines B-2173 1:400
B-2173 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on October 10, 1992. It ceased passenger operations and began operating cargo flights on June 1, 2004, before being officially decommissioned on May 1, 2014, with a total service life of 33.4 years.
B-2173 left an indelible mark on the history of China's civil aviation. At 19:38 on September 10, 1998, this McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with registration number B-2173, operated by China Eastern Airlines, carried 137 passengers and crew members for Flight MU586. The aircraft took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport bound for Beijing Capital International Airport, and was scheduled to continue its flight to Los Angeles International Airport thereafter.
Shortly after takeoff, Captain Ni Jiexiang noticed that the nose landing gear indicator light failed to go out. When the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 900 meters, the captain attempted to retract the landing gear once more, yet the red warning light remained on. The captain then attempted an airborne "swing release" maneuver, but the centrifugal force failed to extend the nose wheel successfully. At this moment, Flight Engineer Zhao Yongliang risked his life by leaning out from the landing gear bay opening and striking the landing gear with an axe, which still did not manage to extend it. After two attempted landings and fuel dumping while circling, the captain ultimately decided to perform an emergency landing.
At 23:07, following the flight attendants' brace commands, Captain Ni Jiexiang piloted the aircraft without a nose landing gear and made a precise emergency landing on Runway 18 of Hongqiao Airport. The moment the nose hit the ground, the flight engineer pulled the engine fire extinguisher handle to cut off the aircraft's fuel supply—even if sparks from friction with the ground were drawn into the engines, they could no longer ignite a fire. The aircraft skidded an additional 380 meters after the nose gear touchdown and came to a stop on the runway of Hongqiao Airport. Dozens of fire engines immediately began spraying fire-retardant foam on the aircraft to prevent an outbreak of fire. During the evacuation, the left No.3 evacuation slide was punctured by a sharp object and deflated, resulting in minor injuries to 6 passengers and 3 flight attendants; all the other 128 people were evacuated safely. The aircraft did not catch fire after being sprayed with fire-retardant foam, averting severe secondary damage.
An investigation conducted after the incident found that a 15-centimeter-long bolt had fallen off in the air during the first attempt to retract the nose landing gear, which caused the nose landing gear lock link mechanism to jam in a nearly retracted position. Civil aviation authorities mobilized a large number of personnel and even called on residents near the airport to search for the tiny bolt, but unfortunately, it was never found. To verify the cause of the bolt's fracture, the investigation team removed a bolt with the same part number from B-2174, the sister aircraft of the incident plane, for laboratory analysis. The results revealed that the sulfide inclusions in the bolt failed to meet China's quality requirements. It was therefore concluded that the fractured and fallen bolt was highly likely to have had metallurgical quality defects.
On February 27, 2005, Captain Ni Jiexiang piloted an MD-11 freighter and landed safely at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. This heroic captain, with 44 years of flying experience, bid farewell to the blue sky to which he had dedicated his entire life.
B-2173 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on October 10, 1992. It ceased passenger operations and began operating cargo flights on June 1, 2004, before being officially decommissioned on May 1, 2014, with a total service life of 33.4 years.
B-2173 left an indelible mark on the history of China's civil aviation. At 19:38 on September 10, 1998, this McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with registration number B-2173, operated by China Eastern Airlines, carried 137 passengers and crew members for Flight MU586. The aircraft took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport bound for Beijing Capital International Airport, and was scheduled to continue its flight to Los Angeles International Airport thereafter.
Shortly after takeoff, Captain Ni Jiexiang noticed that the nose landing gear indicator light failed to go out. When the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 900 meters, the captain attempted to retract the landing gear once more, yet the red warning light remained on. The captain then attempted an airborne "swing release" maneuver, but the centrifugal force failed to extend the nose wheel successfully. At this moment, Flight Engineer Zhao Yongliang risked his life by leaning out from the landing gear bay opening and striking the landing gear with an axe, which still did not manage to extend it. After two attempted landings and fuel dumping while circling, the captain ultimately decided to perform an emergency landing.
At 23:07, following the flight attendants' brace commands, Captain Ni Jiexiang piloted the aircraft without a nose landing gear and made a precise emergency landing on Runway 18 of Hongqiao Airport. The moment the nose hit the ground, the flight engineer pulled the engine fire extinguisher handle to cut off the aircraft's fuel supply—even if sparks from friction with the ground were drawn into the engines, they could no longer ignite a fire. The aircraft skidded an additional 380 meters after the nose gear touchdown and came to a stop on the runway of Hongqiao Airport. Dozens of fire engines immediately began spraying fire-retardant foam on the aircraft to prevent an outbreak of fire. During the evacuation, the left No.3 evacuation slide was punctured by a sharp object and deflated, resulting in minor injuries to 6 passengers and 3 flight attendants; all the other 128 people were evacuated safely. The aircraft did not catch fire after being sprayed with fire-retardant foam, averting severe secondary damage.
An investigation conducted after the incident found that a 15-centimeter-long bolt had fallen off in the air during the first attempt to retract the nose landing gear, which caused the nose landing gear lock link mechanism to jam in a nearly retracted position. Civil aviation authorities mobilized a large number of personnel and even called on residents near the airport to search for the tiny bolt, but unfortunately, it was never found. To verify the cause of the bolt's fracture, the investigation team removed a bolt with the same part number from B-2174, the sister aircraft of the incident plane, for laboratory analysis. The results revealed that the sulfide inclusions in the bolt failed to meet China's quality requirements. It was therefore concluded that the fractured and fallen bolt was highly likely to have had metallurgical quality defects.
On February 27, 2005, Captain Ni Jiexiang piloted an MD-11 freighter and landed safely at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. This heroic captain, with 44 years of flying experience, bid farewell to the blue sky to which he had dedicated his entire life.
