Narrative:

Location: runway 8 tul. A300 was out of its heavy maintenance check at tul and we were doing a functional check flight and ferry to jfk. Captain was flying aircraft the entire time. On takeoff, with landing gear position sensor switch to #1, the landing gear handle would not go up past neutral. Landing gear handle put in down position. Landing gear sensor #2 showed unsafe (red) on left main. Landing gear handle left in down position for duration of flight. Landing sensor #1 showed 3 green (no red) indications. Maintenance gear and nose gear visual downlock indications showed all 3 down and locked. Aircraft landed on speed, normal sink rate at a gross weight of 249000 pounds. This was checked before landing and was well below maximum landing weight. The main north/south runway at tul has been closed for about 3 weeks. Winds were about 130 degrees at 7 KTS (land runway 8). After landing, system #1 showed left and right unsafe (red). Note: cabin remained pressurized after landing (as if still in air). Aircraft landed on speed at about 1000 ft or less from beginning of runway. Autospoilers were armed and worked normally. Autobrakes were armed at medium deceleration rate. After main gear touchdown, thrust reversers were deployed or attempted to deploy as the autobrakes immediately gave what we felt like was maximum deceleration. At the 100 KT callout by the first officer, the brakes were attempted to apply manually but the brake pedals went to the floor with no perceived deceleration. The brake pedals were fully released, the brake/antiskid switch was moved to alternate/off position and brakes reapplied. The result was, we stopped the aircraft on the runway with 8 blown main tires. There was no fire, no ground evacuate/evacuation, and crash fire rescue equipment was at the aircraft in less than 2 mins. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that after this incident, the flight recorder was removed from the aircraft and basically confirms what maintenance follow-up procedures found. That is, that the 'landing gear proximity unit was not fully seated.' as a result, the aircraft sensed that it was airborne and the reversers would not deploy when attempted and the antiskid was inoperative as were autobrakes. This was the major cause of the 8 blown tires on landing. He further states that maintenance replaced the 8 tire and wheel assemblies as well as brake related wiring in both wheel wells. He states that he would have used the emergency override to raise the gear lever if further difficulties had arisen such as an engine failure, but elected to leave the gear down and return to the field as expeditiously as possible. Supplemental information from acn 441366: after landing, with medium autobrakes selected, initial braking action felt like maximum. Autospoilers were armed for landing and deployed normally. Captain was unable to deploy reversers. It then felt as if aircraft deceleration stopped. Once braking was restored and while attempting to stop, maintenance tires blew.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A300 WITH GEAR INDICATION PROBS RETURNS TO TUL AND BLOWS 8 MAIN TIRES ON LNDG ROLL. CREW UNAWARE UNTIL TOUCHDOWN THAT THRUST REVERSERS AND AUTOBRAKES WERE INOPERATIVE.

Narrative: LOCATION: RWY 8 TUL. A300 WAS OUT OF ITS HVY MAINT CHK AT TUL AND WE WERE DOING A FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT AND FERRY TO JFK. CAPT WAS FLYING ACFT THE ENTIRE TIME. ON TKOF, WITH LNDG GEAR POS SENSOR SWITCH TO #1, THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE WOULD NOT GO UP PAST NEUTRAL. LNDG GEAR HANDLE PUT IN DOWN POS. LNDG GEAR SENSOR #2 SHOWED UNSAFE (RED) ON L MAIN. LNDG GEAR HANDLE LEFT IN DOWN POS FOR DURATION OF FLT. LNDG SENSOR #1 SHOWED 3 GREEN (NO RED) INDICATIONS. MAINT GEAR AND NOSE GEAR VISUAL DOWNLOCK INDICATIONS SHOWED ALL 3 DOWN AND LOCKED. ACFT LANDED ON SPD, NORMAL SINK RATE AT A GROSS WT OF 249000 LBS. THIS WAS CHKED BEFORE LNDG AND WAS WELL BELOW MAX LNDG WT. THE MAIN N/S RWY AT TUL HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR ABOUT 3 WKS. WINDS WERE ABOUT 130 DEGS AT 7 KTS (LAND RWY 8). AFTER LNDG, SYS #1 SHOWED L AND R UNSAFE (RED). NOTE: CABIN REMAINED PRESSURIZED AFTER LNDG (AS IF STILL IN AIR). ACFT LANDED ON SPD AT ABOUT 1000 FT OR LESS FROM BEGINNING OF RWY. AUTOSPOILERS WERE ARMED AND WORKED NORMALLY. AUTOBRAKES WERE ARMED AT MEDIUM DECELERATION RATE. AFTER MAIN GEAR TOUCHDOWN, THRUST REVERSERS WERE DEPLOYED OR ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY AS THE AUTOBRAKES IMMEDIATELY GAVE WHAT WE FELT LIKE WAS MAX DECELERATION. AT THE 100 KT CALLOUT BY THE FO, THE BRAKES WERE ATTEMPTED TO APPLY MANUALLY BUT THE BRAKE PEDALS WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO PERCEIVED DECELERATION. THE BRAKE PEDALS WERE FULLY RELEASED, THE BRAKE/ANTISKID SWITCH WAS MOVED TO ALTERNATE/OFF POS AND BRAKES REAPPLIED. THE RESULT WAS, WE STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE RWY WITH 8 BLOWN MAIN TIRES. THERE WAS NO FIRE, NO GND EVAC, AND CFR WAS AT THE ACFT IN LESS THAN 2 MINS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE FLT RECORDER WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT AND BASICALLY CONFIRMS WHAT MAINT FOLLOW-UP PROCS FOUND. THAT IS, THAT THE 'LNDG GEAR PROX UNIT WAS NOT FULLY SEATED.' AS A RESULT, THE ACFT SENSED THAT IT WAS AIRBORNE AND THE REVERSERS WOULD NOT DEPLOY WHEN ATTEMPTED AND THE ANTISKID WAS INOP AS WERE AUTOBRAKES. THIS WAS THE MAJOR CAUSE OF THE 8 BLOWN TIRES ON LNDG. HE FURTHER STATES THAT MAINT REPLACED THE 8 TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLIES AS WELL AS BRAKE RELATED WIRING IN BOTH WHEEL WELLS. HE STATES THAT HE WOULD HAVE USED THE EMER OVERRIDE TO RAISE THE GEAR LEVER IF FURTHER DIFFICULTIES HAD ARISEN SUCH AS AN ENG FAILURE, BUT ELECTED TO LEAVE THE GEAR DOWN AND RETURN TO THE FIELD AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 441366: AFTER LNDG, WITH MEDIUM AUTOBRAKES SELECTED, INITIAL BRAKING ACTION FELT LIKE MAX. AUTOSPOILERS WERE ARMED FOR LNDG AND DEPLOYED NORMALLY. CAPT WAS UNABLE TO DEPLOY REVERSERS. IT THEN FELT AS IF ACFT DECELERATION STOPPED. ONCE BRAKING WAS RESTORED AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP, MAINT TIRES BLEW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.