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Volume 119
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10.3390/engproc2025119007
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Proceeding Paper

NTSB Investigations of High-Strength Steel Landing Gear Components Fracturing from Fatigue by Excessive Grinding †

by
Erik M. Mueller
1,2,*,
Michael Meadows
1,
Pocholo Cruz
1 and
Michael Hauf
1
1
National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, DC 20594, USA
2
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 8th International Conference of Engineering Against Failure (ICEAF VIII), Kalamata, Greece, 22–25 June 2025.
Eng. Proc. 2025, 119(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025119007
Published: 10 December 2025
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Abstract

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency investigating transportation accidents across aircraft, rail, pipeline, marine, highway, and hazardous materials platforms. The agency has investigated multiple accidents involving fractures of landing gear components during touchdown, where the trunnion pins fractured from fatigue. Detailed analysis revealed that the crack initiation sites coincided with areas displaying marks consistent with excessive heating. These marks, or ‘burns’, developed during grinding operations from rework of the parts. The investigation details how fatigue cracks initiate from excessive grinding, the fracture morphologies observed, and the diagnosis of the issue in an investigation. Safety improvements were developed to prevent the fracture from recurring, noting the challenges of finding areas of excessive grinding on high-strength steel parts during rehabilitation.
Keywords: fatigue; failure analysis; electron microscopy; high-strength steel; alloy steel; temper etch inspection; mechanical grinding; chromium electroplating fatigue; failure analysis; electron microscopy; high-strength steel; alloy steel; temper etch inspection; mechanical grinding; chromium electroplating

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mueller, E.M.; Meadows, M.; Cruz, P.; Hauf, M. NTSB Investigations of High-Strength Steel Landing Gear Components Fracturing from Fatigue by Excessive Grinding. Eng. Proc. 2025, 119, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025119007

AMA Style

Mueller EM, Meadows M, Cruz P, Hauf M. NTSB Investigations of High-Strength Steel Landing Gear Components Fracturing from Fatigue by Excessive Grinding. Engineering Proceedings. 2025; 119(1):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025119007

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mueller, Erik M., Michael Meadows, Pocholo Cruz, and Michael Hauf. 2025. "NTSB Investigations of High-Strength Steel Landing Gear Components Fracturing from Fatigue by Excessive Grinding" Engineering Proceedings 119, no. 1: 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025119007

APA Style

Mueller, E. M., Meadows, M., Cruz, P., & Hauf, M. (2025). NTSB Investigations of High-Strength Steel Landing Gear Components Fracturing from Fatigue by Excessive Grinding. Engineering Proceedings, 119(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025119007

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