Boeing 747 B18701

Summary

On 19 May 2013 at about 17:10 local time, a Boeing 747 registered B18701, operated by China Airlines Ltd., was involved in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia, United States. 3 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.

Date

19 May 2013 at 17:10

Classification

Incident

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta I (ATL)

Coordinates

33.6408, -84.4278

Aircraft

Boeing 747

Registration

B18701

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

4

Operator

China Airlines Ltd.

Operating rule

Part 129: Foreign

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ENG13IA027

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the right inboard foreflap outboard fitting due to fatigue and bearing anomalies on the sequence carriages which resulted in the partial separation of the right inboard foreflap. Contributing to the incident was the failure of maintenance personnel to detect the fatigue cracking and bearing anomalies during dedicated inspections.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced a partial separation of the right inboard foreflap during approach to the airport after the crew selected flaps 30. The crew performed a go-around and landed uneventfully. Examination of the outboard fitting that attaches the right inboard foreflap to the sequence carriage revealed a fracture in the lug. A portion of the fracture had a slow growth region consistent with fatigue that caused the lug to fail under normal flight conditions. The failure of the lug resulted in a skewed condition of the right inboard foreflap and subsequent partial separation of the foreflap. Examination of the sequence carriages for both the right and left inboard foreflaps revealed several discrepancies with the bearings including incompatible parts, flat spots, play, binding, and roughness of operation. Due to several other prior events, the manufacturer previously recommended specific maintenance tasks on the foreflaps and the FAA issued an airworthiness directive for mandatory inspections. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that the foreflap components had been inspected or lubricated three times in the preceding six months, the most recent occurring two weeks prior to the incident. The records showed that the airplane was in compliance with all required and recommended maintenance practices for the flaps. However, maintenance personnel failed to notice the fatigue cracking in the lug and the anomalies with the bearings on the sequence carriages during the dedicated foreflap maintenance tasks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.