Summary
Following landing at Sydney Airport on the 8 Nov 2011, one of the main wheels of a Virgin Australia Boeing 737-8FE, registered VH-VUF, was found to have separated at the hub. The failure was traced to fatigue cracks emanating from an unpeened area of the inner hub's bearing bore. The operator had complied with the manufacturer's wheel inspection requirements. However, as a result of the occurrence, the operator increased the frequency of the ultrasonic inspection of the wheel hubs.
Occurrence summary
| Investigation number | AO-2011-143 |
|---|---|
| Occurrence date | 08/11/2011 |
| Location | Sydney Airport |
| State | New South Wales |
| Report release date | 03/08/2012 |
| Report status | Final |
| Investigation level | Short |
| Investigation type | Occurrence Investigation |
| Investigation status | Completed |
| Mode of transport | Aviation |
| Aviation occurrence category | Landing gear/indication |
| Occurrence class | Incident |
| Highest injury level | None |
Aircraft details
| Manufacturer | The Boeing Company |
|---|---|
| Model | 737 |
| Registration | VH-VUF |
| Serial number | 34168 |
| Aircraft operator | Virgin Australia |
| Sector | Jet |
| Operation type | Air Transport High Capacity |
| Departure point | Melbourne, Vic. |
| Destination | Sydney, NSW |
| Damage | Minor |