Boeing 747-121 N473EV
31 March 1993 · Anchorage, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 31 March 1993 at about 16:34 local time, a Boeing 747-121 registered N473EV, operated by Japan Airlines, was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:34
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Anchorage, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- Anchorage Intl (ANC)
- Coordinates
- 61.1592, -149.9903
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-121
- Registration
- N473EV
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Japan Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Chicago
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA93MA033
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
THE LATERAL SEPARATION OF THE NO. 2 ENGINE PYLON DUE TO AN ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE OR POSSIBLY EXTREME TURBULENCE THAT RESULTED IN DYNAMIC MULTI-AXIS LATERAL LOADINGS THAT EXCEEDED THE ULTIMATE LATERAL 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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM ANCHORAGE, THE AIRPLANE FLEW INTO AN AREA OF SEVERE TURBULENCE, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 2000 FEET. THE NUMBER 2 ENGINE AND ENGINE PYLON SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE FLIGHTCREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND THE FLIGHT RETURN TO ANCHORAGE, WHERE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A STRONG EASTERLY WIND INTERACTED WITH MOUNTAINS EAST OF ANCHORAGE, WHICH PRODUCED MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE OR POSSIBLY EXTREME TURBULENCE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THIS RESULTED IN DYNAMIC MULTI-AXIS LATERAL LOADINGS THAT EXCEEDED THE ULTIMATE LATERAL LOAD-CARRYING CAPABILITY OF THE NUMBER 2 ENGINE PYLON, WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN REDUCED BY THE PRESENCE OF A FATIGUE CRACK NEAR THE FORWARD END OF THE PYLON'S FORWARD FIREWALL WEB.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 1993 | Boeing 747-200 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Northwest Airlines, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1993 | Boeing 747-100 | Milan, Italy | United Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 25 Jul 1993 | Boeing 747-368 | Jamaica, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 1993 | Boeing 747-200 | New York, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1993 | Boeing 747-269BC | Alexandria, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Mar 1992 | Boeing 747-123 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | United Parcel Service | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 1993 | Cessna A185F | Denali Nat'l Pk, Alaska, United States | James Okonek | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1993 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Atigun Pass, Alaska, United States | Yutana Airlines | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Aug 1993 | De Havilland DHC-3 | Nikabuna Lake, Alaska, United States | Ketchum Air Service Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1993 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Iliamna, Alaska, United States | Rainbow King, Inc | Fatal | 3 |
| 2 Sep 1993 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Sanona Creek, Alaska, United States | Garfield, Wade E. | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Sep 1993 | Interstate S-1B2 ARCTIC TERN | Talkeetna River, Alaska, United States | Franklin, Gary L. | Serious injuries | - |