Boeing 747 412 N703CK

Summary

On 3 February 2020 at about 11:00 local time, a Boeing 747 412 registered N703CK, operated by Kalitta Air, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California, United States. 7 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.

Date

3 February 2020 at 11:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nearest airport

Los Angeles International (LAX)

Coordinates

33.9417, -118.4086

Aircraft

Boeing 747 412

Registration

N703CK

Category

Airplane

Engines

4

Operator

Kalitta Air

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Los Angeles → Honolulu

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DCA20CA077

Nobody was injured.

An unavoidable collision with a garbage dumpster that had blown into the path of the airplane during the takeoff roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On February 3, 2020, about 0306 Pacific standard time, Kalitta Air flight 368, a Boeing 747-400, N703CK, collided with a garbage bin during the takeoff roll on runway 25R at Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), Los Angeles, California. There were no injuries to the seven passengers and flight crew onboard and the airplane was substantially damaged. The domestic cargo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 supplemental from KLAX to Honolulu International Airport (PHNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. The captain stated that he was the pilot flying and, during the takeoff roll on runway 25R, between 80 and 110 knots (V1 was 131 knots), he noticed a large object "moving right to left at a good speed". A fraction of a second later it passed under the nose and impacted the airplane. He said that the impact was loud, and the airplane "settled", followed by severe vibration in the airplane. He immediately rejected the takeoff and stopped on the runway. At the time of the takeoff, winds were reported to be 15 knots, gusting to 28 knots, from 340 degrees. Authorities at the Los Angeles World Airports determined that the object blown onto the runway was a garbage dumpster.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.