Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E
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Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E was a scheduled cargo flight on 31 March 1993, operated by
Evergreen International Airlines Evergreen International Airlines was a charter and cargo airline based in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. Wholly owned by Evergreen International Aviation, it had longstanding ties to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It operated co ...
, on behalf of
Japan Air Lines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
, from
Anchorage International Airport Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major airport in the U.S. state of Alaska, located southwest of downtown Anchorage. The airport is named for Ted Stevens, a U.S. senator from Alaska in office from 1968 to 2009. It is include ...
, in
Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
, Alaska, to
O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, ...
, in Chicago. After departure, while climbing through 2,000 feet, the pylon for engine two detached, causing the whole engine to fall off the wing. The pilots managed to land the 747 back at Anchorage without further incident. The
NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
concluded that the lateral separation of the No. 2 engine pylon was possibly due to an encounter with severe or possibly extreme turbulence that resulted in dynamic multi-axis lateral loadings that exceeded the ultimate Iateral load-carrying capability of the pylon, which was already reduced by the presence of the fatigue crack near the forward end of the pylon's forward firewall web.


Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a 23-year-old Boeing 747–121 registered as N473EV that first flew in 1970 as a passenger aircraft. It had been previously operated by Pan Am, and TWA before being converted into a freighter and delivered to Evergreen International Airlines in December 1988. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7D turbofan engines. The 42-year-old male captain had been with Evergreen International Airlines since 1987 and had logged more than 10,000 flight hours, including 750 hours on the Boeing 747. The 47-year-old male first officer had been with the airline since 1991 and 10,500 flight hours, 600 of them on the Boeing 747. The 33-year-old female flight engineer had been with Evergreen since 1989 and had 2,600 flight hours. She was the most experienced on the Boeing 747, having logged 1,201 hours on it.


Flight

JAL Flight 46E departed
Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
about 12:24 local time. The flight release/weather package provided to the pilots by Evergreen operations contained a forecast for severe turbulence and indicated that severe turbulence was reported by other large airplanes. As Flight 46E taxied onto the runway to await its takeoff clearance, the local controller informed "the flight crew that the pilot of another
Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
reported severe turbulence at while climbing out from runway 06R." After takeoff, at an altitude of about , the airplane experienced an uncommanded left bank of approximately 50 degrees. While the desired airspeed was , the airspeed fluctuated about from a high of to a low of . Shortly thereafter, the flight crew reported a "huge" yaw, the No. 2 throttle slammed to its aft stop, the No. 2 reverser indication showed thrust reverser deployment, and the No. 2 engine electrical bus failed. Several witnesses on the ground reported that the airplane experienced several severe pitch and roll oscillations before the engine separated. Shortly after the engine separated from the airplane, the flight crew declared an emergency, and the captain initiated a large radius turn to the left to return and land on runway 06R. The No. 1 engine was maintained at emergency/maximum power. While on the downwind portion of the landing pattern, bank angles momentarily exceeded 48 degrees, alternating with wings level. At about 12:45, Flight 46E advised the tower that they were on the runway.


Investigation

Investigators from the
National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...
(NTSB), led the investigation. They discovered that there were multiple detachments of the pylon for engine two, which led to the subsequent detachment of the whole engine. Investigators also discovered that the direction of the detachment was outboard. It is likely that the reason for the engine detachment was due to the turbulence from the Alaskan Mountains the plane experienced as it climbed through 2,000 feet. The turbulence would've stressed the engine pylon. There was no sign of the same crack on other 747's pylon's after Flight 46E's incident. Prior to JAL46E's takeoff, another Evergreen 747 also on behalf operation with
Japan Air Lines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
, JAL42E, also experienced minor damage. In response to the incident, the NTSB recommended that the
FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
consider modifying the departure routes at Anchorage.


Aftermath

N473EV was repaired and returned to service after the incident and kept flying for
Evergreen International Airlines Evergreen International Airlines was a charter and cargo airline based in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. Wholly owned by Evergreen International Aviation, it had longstanding ties to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It operated co ...
until 1998. The plane was scrapped in 2001.


See also

*
El Al Flight 1862 On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft of the then state-owned Israeli airline El Al, crashed into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats in the Bijlmermeer (colloquially "Bijlmer") neighbourhood (part of Amsterda ...
and China Airlines Flight 358 Two other 747 Freighter's that encountered an engine detachment in the 1990's. Both resulting in fatal crashes. *
Trans-Air Service Flight 671 Trans-Air Service Flight 671 was a cargo flight from Luxembourg Airport to Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Nigeria. While flying over France on March 31, 1992, the Boeing 707 operating the flight experienced an in-flight separat ...
Another cargo flight that encountered turbulence resulting in an engine detachment. * Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 An incident where a
Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensiv ...
encountered a propeller detached, also after takeoff from Anchorage. *
American Airlines Flight 191 American Airlines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight in the United States operated by American Airlines from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. On the afternoon of May 25, ...
Another case involving a detachment of an engine pylon at
O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, ...
in 1979.


References

{{JAL Group Japan Airlines accidents and incidents Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 747 Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1993 March 1993 events in the United States Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Airliner accidents and incidents involving in-flight engine separations