DL982 - Nose Wheel Detachment on Taxi

Delta flight 982 was scheduled to operate from Atlanta (ATL) to El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogotá, Colombia, on 20 January 2024. At about 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time, while taxiing to the departure runway, the Boeing 757‑200 experienced a mechanical failure in the nose landing gear assembly; the nose wheel separated and rolled clear of the aircraft. The flight crew stopped the airplane and alerted ground personnel. Passengers and crew remained on board until buses arrived to take them back to the terminal. Delta reported that 172 passengers, two pilots and four flight attendants were aboard. No injuries were reported and passengers were reaccommodated on later flights. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration opened an investigation into the maintenance and inspection records for the nose gear assembly.