Boeing 747-4F6B N751PR
7 June 1999 · Los Angeles, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 June 1999 at about 06:16 local time, a Boeing 747-4F6B registered N751PR, operated by Philippine Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California, United States. 699 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 06:16
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Los Angeles International (LAX)
- Coordinates
- 33.9386, -118.4089
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-4F6B
- Registration
- N751PR
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Philippine Airlines, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles → Manila
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- LAX99FA218
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 699 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 699 |
Probable cause
Airport management's failure to ensure that its current operating procedure, which required the arriving airplane to power into the terminal gate, was being used. Also causal was (1) the ground service company's utilization of an outdated arrival procedure that directed the arriving airplane to stop short of the gate, thereby obstructing the taxilane; and (2) the ground service company's utilization of a nonstandard marshalling hand signal which was, accordingly, misinterpreted by the departing airplane's crew. A contributing factor was the departing airplane's first officer's misjudged evaluation of wing tip clearance.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
At night, a Boeing 747-4F6B, N751PR, taxied into a Boeing 747 SP-44, F-GTOM. During the collision, N751PR was proceeding westbound on taxilane "C" for its planned departure for Manila. F-GTOM had landed from France and was standing short of its assigned gate 101. F-GTOM was oriented in a northwesterly direction, and its left wing was extending onto taxilane "C". Six ground service personnel were in proximity to F-GTOM, awaiting the connection of a tow tractor to pull it into the gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). During the collision sequence, N751PR impacted the aft portion of F-GTOM's left wing. N751PR's right wing's winglet was severed off and F-GTOM's left wing was substantially damaged. ATC had cleared the departing N751PR to taxi past the standing F-GTOM and make a 90-degree turn onto a nearby taxiway. The ground crew's wing walkers for the standing airplane were aware that its left wing was partially blocking taxilane "C." One of the wing walkers issued its company-authorized "engine operating" signal that was observed by N751PR's crew. This nonstandard signal was interpreted by the departing airplane's crew as an "all clear to taxi" signal in accordance with the standard hand signals published in the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual and by its airline. The collision occurred as the departing airplane commenced a sharp left turn, from the centerline of taxilane "C" toward a perpendicular taxiway. During the turn the effective length of the airplane's wing increased. The right wing tip was not visible to the captain, and he relied upon his first officer and crewmembers to monitor its proximity to the standing airplane. However, after passing abeam the standing airplane's empennage and observing the wing walker's "all clear signal," the first officer redirected his attention toward their new course and away from the standing airplane's left wing. Due to a lack of available ground area, and to accommodate the airport's need for additional airplane movement areas, the FAA had approved a reduction in clearance between the terminal gates and the adjacent taxiway/taxilane. Airport management was aware of the collision hazard related to the proximity between taxilane "C" and adjacent terminal gates. During the previous 5-year-period, three other collisions had occurred between Boeing 747 airplanes on the taxilane. TBIT airport management personnel were responsible for enforcing published airport rules that required the arriving Boeing 747 SP-44 (F-GTOM) to power into gate 101, which was equipped with an operative docking light guidance system. However, this guidance system had not been used by the contract ground service company for several years. The TBIT management personnel failed to enforce the policy and allowed the ground service personnel to stop the arriving F-GTOM short of gate 101 thus partially blocking taxilane "C." The ground personnel, using their outdated airport rules manual (that directed a tow-in procedure), planned to utilize a tow tractor to pull the airplane the remaining distance to the gate. This was contrary to the revised manual, which required a power-in procedure. Airport management had failed to ensure that all manual holders were using updated versions of the manual.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 747-4F6B 747-400 | N751PR | Philippine Airlines, Inc. | Minor |
| Boeing 747-SP 747-SP | F-GTOM | - | Substantial |
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1999 | Boeing 747-100 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | Evergreen Int'l Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 1999 | Boeing 747-200F | Stansted, United Kingdom | Korean Airlines, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 29 Jul 1999 | Boeing 747-269B | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1999 | Boeing 747-400 | Bangkok, Thailand | Qantas Airlines, Inc. | Unknown | - |
| 8 Feb 1999 | Boeing 747-200 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Elal | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1999 | Boeing 747SP | Taipei, Taiwan | China Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1999 | Rhea KR-2 | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 172A | Shoshone, California, United States | Charles R. Christman | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-150 | Strathmore, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Cessna 172N | San Jose, California, United States | Concord Flight Intl, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1999 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |