Investigation Summary
The aircraft departed Burbank at 15:31 PDT. During the initial climb, the crew received a 'L/G SHOCK ABSORBER FAULT' ECAM message when they attempted to retract the landing gear. After recycling the gear, the message changed to 'WHEEL N.W. STRG FAULT'. The nose gear remained down and locked, but the wheels were rotated 90 degrees to the left. Because the A320 does not have a fuel jettison system, the aircraft flew in a figure-eight pattern between Burbank and the California coast for approximately three hours to reach a safe landing weight. A unique aspect of this emergency was that passengers were able to watch live news coverage of their own flight via the aircraft's DirecTV system until the crew disabled it shortly before landing. The pilots maintained the nose off the runway as long as possible during the landing roll to minimize friction and maintain directional control.
Final Conclusions
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the fatigue failure of two of the four anti-rotation lugs on the nose gear's upper support assembly, which allowed the wheels to rotate 90 degrees. This was exacerbated by the Brake Steering Control Unit (BSCU) logic; when the system detected a steering mismatch during a pre-landing test, it commanded the wheels to a position that, due to the failed lugs, resulted in a 90-degree jam. The investigation led to airworthiness directives to upgrade BSCU software and redesign the nose gear assembly to prevent similar fatigue failures.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
These Passengers Watched their OWN Emergency, LIVE!! — A detailed look at the mechanical failure and emergency procedures of JetBlue Flight 292, including the unique situation where passengers watched the event on live television.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Scott Burke
First Officer
David Razler
Systems & Failure Modes
Nose Wheel Steering (NWS)
The system responsible for steering the aircraft on the ground; a mechanical failure in the anti-rotation lugs caused the wheels to jam perpendicular to the direction of travel.
ECAM
The Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor provided the initial fault alerts to the pilots regarding the landing gear shock absorber and steering system.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was an Airbus A320 named 'Canyon Blue'.
- 02There were 141 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
- 03The nose gear tires were completely destroyed by friction during the landing roll.
- 04The landing was broadcast live on national television, which passengers watched via the onboard satellite TV system.
- 05The aircraft returned to service after repairs were completed.
Safety Actions & Advisories
BSCU Software Upgrade
Source ↗Airbus released a software update for the Brake Steering Control Unit (BSCU) to prevent the system from commanding a nose wheel reset if a shock absorber fault is detected, which previously contributed to the 90-degree jam.
Nose Gear Redesign
The manufacturer redesigned the nose gear anti-rotation lugs to increase their fatigue resistance and prevent the structural failure that allowed the wheels to rotate beyond their limits.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the official investigation report.