On 2023-08-23, an Alaska Airlines 737-800 landing at John Wayne International Airport (KSNA) in Santa Ana California landed in gusty, crosswind conditions during tropical storm “Hilary”. The landing was so hard the left landing gear broke off and was smashed through the top of the wing, causing the engine cowling to contact the runway, producing an impressive shower of sparks.
The successive stretches of the Boeing 737 over its (too long) life have resulted in high landing speeds, which make landings on the main runway at KSNA, just 1737 metres long, a challenge, especially when gusty conditions require increasing landing speed and a wet runway degrades braking and poses a risk of hydroplaning after touchdown.
It is not known at this time whether the landing gear attachment failed as designed due to the hard landing or whether it might have failed below the intended limit due to another problem. Here is a preliminary report on the incident from Aviation Safety Network.
Here is video of the entire landing captured by a passenger, in portrait mode, of course, with the obligatory comments in the U.S. dialect employing their all-purpose profanity.
