19980121007019I

Incident

FAA incident report · Boeing 727-264 · Aukland, HI · January 21, 1998

Date: January 21, 1998 · 07:45 local
Place: Aukland, HI
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: MZZA
Aircraft: N623DH
Reported as: Boeing 727264
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D17R
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 17,934 total3,898 in this make and model112 in the last 90 days

N623DHRegistration cancelled Mar 22, 2000 · Boeing 727-264S/N 20895 Airframe modelBoeing 727-264

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: shortly after takeoff the aircraft experienced a load shift as the P1 container slid aft to the previously empty P2 position. Unable to slide the container back to the P1 position, the crew secured the container, moved the contents to the P1 position, dumped fuel and returned to akl for a normal landing without further incident. Subsequent investigation revealed the pallet to have a much "thinner" base than other pallets and even when locked into position, the locks could be disengaged by rocking the container by hand. The pallet had been used on another aircraft with "overlapping" edge rails which this aircraft does not have.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A LOAD SHIFT AS THE P1 CONTAINER SLID AFT TO THE PREVIOUSLY EMPTY P2 POSITION. UNABLE TO SLIDE THE CONTAINER BACK TO THE P1 POSITION, THE CREW SECURED THE CONTAINER, MOVED THE CONTENTS TO THE P1 POSITION, DUMPED FUEL AND RETURNED TO AKL FOR A NORMAL LANDING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PALLET TO HAVE A MUCH "THINNER" BASE THAN OTHER PALLETS AND EVEN WHEN LOCKED INTO POSITION, THE LOCKS COULD BE DISENGAGED BY ROCKING THE CONTAINER BY HAND. THE PALLET HAD BEEN USED ON ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WITH "OVERLAPPING" EDGE RAILS WHICH THIS AIRCRAFT DOES NOT HAVE.