“PAN PAN PAN ” TAM Airbus A330 Nose gear "Sideways". Multiple go arounds at JFK

TAM 8078 and the Sideways Nose Gear at JFK

TAM Airlines Flight JJ8078 arrived at New York JFK from Rio de Janeiro on September 26, 2012 with a nose-wheel steering problem that became visually alarming during the approach. The Airbus A330-200, registered PT-MVQ, had 190 people aboard.

On final approach to runway 22R, the crew initiated a go-around at about 300 feet after the tower reported that the nose gear appeared to be rotated. The crew had already advised that they had a nose-wheel steering problem and would need to remain on the runway after landing because they might not be able to vacate normally.

After the go-around, the crew requested time and vectors to assess the problem. The cockpit indications appeared more reassuring than the external view reported by the tower. Controllers repeatedly asked whether the nose gear was sideways, while the crew worked through the problem and prepared for another approach.

The aircraft eventually landed on runway 31L about 45 minutes after the first approach was abandoned. The tower observed that the nose gear appeared to straighten during touchdown. Emergency crews inspected the aircraft after landing and found no major visible anomaly other than a cracked nose-gear light. The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron.

The episode shows why a visual report from the tower can be crucial when an aircraft system appears normal from the cockpit. The crew could not directly see the nose wheels, while controllers and observers had the external view. The resulting decision to go around created the time needed to reconcile those two perspectives before committing to the landing.

“TAM Linhas Aéreas Flight 8078 Incident – September 26, 2012 Aircraft: Airbus A330-200 Flight: TAM 8078 Route: Rio de Janeiro (GIG) to New York JFK”

Accident Facts

Sources

• Video source (ATC/audio reconstruction)
• AeroInside / Aviation Herald incident record, 26 September 2012.
• ICAO/ICAEA communication-training transcript containing TAM 8078 ATC exchanges.
• ABC7 report on the precautionary landing.
• Video/ATC recording