Boeing 747-121 N818FT
17 May 1989 · Anchorage, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 17 May 1989 at about 17:39 local time, a Boeing 747-121 registered N818FT, operated by Flying Tiger Line, was involved in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:39
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Anchorage Intl (ANC)
- Coordinates
- 61.1797, -149.8791
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-121
- Registration
- N818FT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Flying Tiger Line
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Anchorage → Tokyo, Japan
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC89IA071
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF TIRES ON THE RIGHT INSIDE MAIN GEAR TRUCK. A RELATED FACTOR WAS: FAILURE OF OPERATOR/MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL TO FOLLOW PROPER LOADING PROCEDURES, WHICH RESULTED IN AN IMPROPER LATERAL WEIGHT AND BALANCE SITUATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DRG THE TKOF ROLL, THE CREW FELT A VIBRATION BTN 135 KTS & LIFT-OFF. THEY LEFT THE GEAR EXTDD & WERE ADZD 2 TIRES HAD SEPD FM THE RGT INSIDE MAIN GEAR TRUCK, A 3RD TIRE BLEW OUT & THE 4TH APPEARED INTACT. THEY DUMPED FUEL & LNDD. AN EXAM REVEALED THE TIRES HAD FAILED, RESULTING IN SKIN DMG & BKN HYD LINE(S). CARGO HAD BEEN LOADED WITH MORE PALLETS ON THE RGT SIDE; SOME PALLETS WERE NOT MARKED TO INDC WT OR SHIPPING ID. A COMPUTER PRINT-OUT (SIGNED BY CAPT & STATION AGENT) SHOWED A LATERAL IMBALANCE OF 18,766 LBS. WITH THIS IMBALANCE, GROSS WT SHOULD NOT HAVE EXCEEDED 744,000 LBS; ACTUAL WT WAS 751,316 LBS. AFTER DEPG THE CARGO RAMP, ACFT WAS TAXIED 3 MI IN A STRAIGHT LINE, THEN 2 LEFT TURNS WERE MADE ONTO RWY 6R FOR TKOF. PREVIOUS LOADING CRITERIA PROVIDED 3% ALLOWANCE FOR RANDOM DISPOSABLE LOADS ON PALLETS. IN 1969, FAA ISSUED AN EXEMPTION FM FAR 25.471(B) TO ALLOW BOEING 747'S TO BE LOADED TO DESIGN LIMIT, PROVIDED INSTRNS WERE AVBL TO ASSURE A SYMMETRICAL LOADING. OF 239 KNOWN TIRE FAILURES, 71 INVOLVED THE FLYING TIGER LINE, AN ALL CARGO CARRIER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1989 | Boeing 747 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Air New Zealand | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 1989 | Boeing 747-122 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | United Airlines | Fatal | 9 |
| 19 Feb 1989 | Boeing 747-200 | Puchong Malaysi, Malaysia | Flying Tigers | Fatal | 4 |
| 15 Dec 1989 | Boeing 747-400 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1990 | Boeing 747-151 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Northwest Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 2 May 1988 | Boeing 747-123 | Nr Tokyo, Japan | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1989 | Piper PA-32 | Kasigluk, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1989 | Cessna 185E | Alexander Lake, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1989 | Aeronca 15AC | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 1989 | Cessna 180-A | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1989 | Cessna 185 | Trinity Lake, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1989 | Cessna 152 | Kenai, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |