Boeing 747-151 N604US
22 August 1991 · Seattle, Washington, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 22 August 1991 at about 23:04 local time, a Boeing 747-151 registered N604US, operated by Northwest Airlines, Inc, was involved in an incident near Seattle, Washington, United States. 387 people were on board and 11 had minor injuries. 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 23:04
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Seattle, Washington, United States
- Nearest airport
- Seatac (SEA)
- Coordinates
- 47.4392, -122.2806
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-151
- Registration
- N604US
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Northwest Airlines, Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Seattle → Tokyo
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA91IA219
People
11 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 387 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 376 |
Probable cause
A FIRE IN THE NUMBER 4 ENGINE, RESULTING FROM A FUEL LEAK AT THE MAIN FUEL CONTROL UNIT, DUE TO IMPROPER MAINTENANCE BY UNKNOWN/UNDETERMINED PERSON. THE L5 EMERGENCY EXIT FAILED TO OPERATEE DUE TO A BROKEN PLASTIC PULLEY GUARD IN THE SLIDE RELEASE MECHANISM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE NO 4 ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE DURING CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF AND THE CREW ACTIVATED THE ENGINE FIRE EXTINGUISHER SYSTEM, DUMPED FUEL, AND RETURNED TO THE ARPT FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE NO 4 ENGINE FIRE AND A GRASS FIRE AT THE RWY T/D ZONE WERE EXTINGUISHED BY ARPT CFR CREW. AN EMERGENCY EVAC WAS CONDUCTED FROM THE LEFT SIDE AFTER THE ACFT STOPPED ON THE RWY. THE L5 EMERGENCY DOOR AND SLIDE FAILED TO DEPLOY FOR THE EVAC. EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAK FROM THE MAIN FUEL CONTROL UNIT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 1991 | Boeing 747-400 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | KLM Royal Dutch Airline | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Dec 1991 | Boeing 747-200F | Taipei, Taiwan | China Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 29 Apr 1991 | Boeing 747SP | Churchville, New York, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 17 Oct 1991 | Boeing 747-300 | Houston, Texas, United States | KLM Royal Dutch Airline | No injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1991 | Boeing 747-200 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Air New Zealand | No injuries | - |
| 24 Oct 1991 | Boeing 747-122 | Denver, Colorado, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1991 | Bell BH-47G2A | Waitsburg, Washington, United States | Waitsburg Helicopter Service | No injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 1991 | Robinson R22 BETA | Kent, Washington, United States | Classic Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 1991 | Grumman American AA-1C | Wenatchee, Washington, United States | James Q. Baxter | No injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1991 | Aeronca 11AC | Port Orchard, Washington, United States | John D. Gracie | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 1991 | Cessna C-172N | Ellensburg, Washington, United States | Interwest Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1991 | Grumman G-21A | Spokane, Washington, United States | Loel Fenwick | No injuries | - |