The landing gear on the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world’s heaviest and perhaps largest aircraft, has developed a mechanical fault.
On January 9, 2021, at approximately 8:49 a.m. CET (7:49 a.m. GMT), the plane crashed upon landing at Rzeszow airport (RZE) on a route from Istanbul (IST).
The business revealed on Twitter that the landing gear deployment sensor attachment nuts on the right landing gear strut had been “cut.”
The glitch, according to Antonov, had no impact on the safety of Mriya’s flight and landing.
The business also stated that once the bolts are replaced, the plane would be fully operational again.
The incident was also mentioned in the tweet as taking place on January 10, while various flight monitoring services, like as Flightradar24 and Radarbox, show that the trip from Istanbul to Rzeszow took place on January 9.
Antonov Company has been contacted by AeroTime for confirmation. The incident occurred on January 9, 2022, according to the company’s press service.
According to the data, the plane was still on the ground at RZE on January 11th morning.
Aviation fans pay close attention to takeoffs and landings conducted by the An-225, and this trip was no exception.
The landing, which took place early in the morning, was particularly impressive, as the massive plane sliced through the fog, creating a gap in its route.
Dmytro Antonov, the An-225 pilot, also shared onboard film of the landing. He did not, however, disclose the issue with the landing gear sensor.
The An-225 flew from Bishkek (FRU) to Istanbul, then to Rzeszow, carrying an unidentified payload weighing 155,000 kg. This is more than any other cargo aircraft’s maximum payload capacity.
The Antonov An-124, for example, has a payload capacity of 150,000 kilograms, while the Boeing 747-8F has a payload capacity of 134,200 kilos and the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy has a payload capacity of 122,470 kilograms.
In the 1980s, the An-225 Mriya was designed to transport rocket parts and spaceplanes for the Soviet space program.
It was updated and repurposed as a freighter in the early 2000s, becoming the world’s heaviest and most competent cargo airplane.
It has a number of world records, including hauling more than 253,000 kilos, the biggest payload ever, which is equivalent to more than five empty Boeing 737s or 3,600 washing machines.
Although a second An-225 airframe was designed, only one was ever built. For decades, Antonov has been debating whether or not it should be completed.
