WATCH: Horizon Airlines Nose Wheel WOBBLING After Landing Due to Hydraulic Failure

Someone sent me a video yesterday that was honestly the first time I've ever seen happen during a hydraulic failure. A Horizon Airlines, Embraer E175 jet was enroute from Seattle to Redmond, Oregon when they reported a hydraulic issue and elected to divert to Portland, Oregon. Upon landing, there is user submitted video that shows the nose wheel wobbling back and forth upon landing, causing the aircraft to violently shake.

It was most likely a hydraulic failue of one of the aircraft systems. While the loss of a system is not a dire emergency and the aircraft is designed to operate with the loss of a system, it is a concern for onward flying of the aircraft.

Portland is a good diversion airport as there is likely maintenance and spare aircraft due to Portland being a hub airport for the airline. The diversion would be routine and there would be no immediate concern. Depending on the type of loss of hydraulic system, the aircraft could lose their steering control and would not be able to turn the aircraft nose, which would require a tow off from the runway.

What I believe happened here was the hydraulic system that controls steering failed, and the system that normally keeps the nose pointed straight failed. And somewhere during the process of landing, the nose got knocked off center and started the wobble.

I'm very surprised that the captain was able to keep the aircraft on the runway and the wobbling effect didn't jerk the nose left or right. Normally, with the nose wheel moving so violently back and forth you would either skid out the tire and make it deflate, or the aircraft would be pulled in a left or right direction.

Final Thoughts

I applaud the crew for keeping the aircraft on the runway and coming to a safe stop. I'm sure both the airline and Embraer, the airplane manufacture, will be looking into how the nose wheel was able to get into a position to wobble like that on the runway.