20020901027049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Boeing 747 · Los Angeles, CA · September 1, 2002

Date: September 1, 2002 · 21:00 local
Place: Los Angeles, CA
Airport: Los Angeles International
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
Operator: ANZF
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: ZKNBS
Reported as: Boeing 747

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.

(-23) After departure from auckland new zealand the right inboard fore flap attach point p/n 65B39025-29 failed. The broken (half round) attach piece was recovered from the canoe by maintenance personnel. Subsequent vibration and flutter caused the flap to break into three pieces of which the two thirds on the inboard side departed the aircraft. The flight crew was unaware of the incident and continued the flight to lax. Later that day transportation authorities in new zealand recovered the two pieces of the flap from the bay under the departure end of the airport in auckland. The airplane landed without incident at lax. Post flight inspection revealed that two thirds of the fore flap were missing. Secondary damage was sustained to the mid flap, the fuselage, and the outer flap well wind rib along with other related systems. Previous SDR reports reveal SDR #P5CA9800739, dated July 8, 1997 showing the same failure for a Boeing 747-400. SDR submitted privacy data omitted

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AFTER DEPARTURE FROM AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND THE RIGHT INBOARD FORE FLAP ATTACH POINT P/N 65B39025-29 FAILED. THE BROKEN (HALF ROUND) ATTACH PIECE WAS RECOVERED FROM THE CANOE BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. SUBSEQUENT VIBRATION AND FLUTTER CAUSED THE FLAP TO BREAK INTO THREE PIECES OF WHICH THE TWO THIRDS ON THE INBOARD SIDE DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT CREW WAS UNAWARE OF THE INCIDENT AND CONTINUED THE FLIGHT TO LAX. LATER THAT DAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITIES IN NEW ZEALAND RECOVERED THE TWO PIECES OF THE FLAP FROM THE BAY UNDER THE DEPARTURE END OF THE AIRPORT IN AUCKLAND. THE AIRPLANE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AT LAX. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT TWO THIRDS OF THE FORE FLAP WERE MISSING. SECONDARY DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED TO THE MID FLAP, THE FUSELAGE, AND THE OUTER FLAP WELL WIND RIB ALONG WITH OTHER RELATED SYSTEMS. PREVIOUS SDR REPORTS REVEAL SDR #P5CA9800739, DATED JULY 8, 1997 SHOWING THE SAME FAILURE FOR A BOEING 747-400. SDR SUBMITTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^