OpenAirDocs.org

19980515014099I

Incident · No damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Boeing 747-123 · Honolulu, HI · May 15, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 15, 1998 · 11:00 local
Place
Honolulu, HI
Airport
Honolulu International Airport
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
UA2A
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N157UA
Reported as
Boeing 747123
People aboard
415
Fatal injuries
0
N157UARegistration cancelled Jan 3, 2000 · Boeing 747-123S/N 20106Airframe modelBoeing 747-123

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: united flight 827 departed Honolulu, HI (hnl) for narita, japan on 5/15/98. Captain gipson was receiving initial operating experience (ioe) under the supervision of check airman bulger. One hour and fifty one minutes out of hnl the crew noticed smoke in the vicinity of the overhead circuit breaker panel (P7), followed shortly by sparks and flames emanating from circuit breaker C787. This 10 amp breaker supplies 115 vac to the no. 2 ins system. Check airman bulger was the pilot flying (pf) at the time. Captain gipson donned his 02 mask and took the controls. Before the other pilot could don his mask, the flight engineer had the fire out. The failed circuit breaker had, evidently, shorted 115 vac to the P7 panel, causing C944, a 20 amp breaker in the phase "b" line to open. When the voltage was removed, there was residual fire from overheated paint and the lucite illumination strip on the P7 panel. The flight engineer extinguished this fire with one short burst from the halon fire extinguisher. The crew notified ATC, received a clearance back to hnl, and dumped fuel to attain the required landing weight. The landing was uneventful, and the fire rescue personnel responded appropriately. The 411 passengers, bags, and crew boarded a replacement aircraft and continued to narita.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: UNITED FLIGHT 827 DEPARTED HONOLULU, HI (HNL) FOR NARITA, JAPAN ON 5/15/98. CAPTAIN GIPSON WAS RECEIVING INITIAL OPERATING EXPERIENCE (IOE) UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF CHECK AIRMAN BULGER. ONE HOUR AND FIFTY ONE MINUTES OUT OF HNL THE CREW NOTICED SMOKE IN THE VICINITY OF THE OVERHEAD CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL (P7), FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY SPARKS AND FLAMES EMANATING FROM CIRCUIT BREAKER C787. THIS 10 AMP BREAKER SUPPLIES 115 VAC TO THE NO. 2 INS SYSTEM. CHECK AIRMAN BULGER WAS THE PILOT FLYING (PF) AT THE TIME. CAPTAIN GIPSON DONNED HIS 02 MASK AND TOOK THE CONTROLS. BEFORE THE OTHER PILOT COULD DON HIS MASK, THE FLIGHT ENGINEER HAD THE FIRE OUT. THE FAILED CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD, EVIDENTLY, SHORTED 115 VAC TO THE P7 PANEL, CAUSING C944, A 20 AMP BREAKER IN THE PHASE "B" LINE TO OPEN. WHEN THE VOLTAGE WAS REMOVED, THERE WAS RESIDUAL FIRE FROM OVERHEATED PAINT AND THE LUCITE ILLUMINATION STRIP ON THE P7 PANEL. THE FLIGHT ENGINEER EXTINGUISHED THIS FIRE WITH ONE SHORT BURST FROM THE HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE CREW NOTIFIED ATC, RECEIVED A CLEARANCE BACK TO HNL, AND DUMPED FUEL TO ATTAIN THE REQUIRED LANDING WEIGHT. THE LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL, AND THE FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL RESPONDED APPROPRIATELY. THE 411 PASSENGERS, BAGS, AND CREW BOARDED A REPLACEMENT AIRCRAFT AND CONTINUED TO NARITA.