LAX97IA300

After feeling a vibration in the aircraft during the takeoff roll, the cockpit crew heard a loud bang and the right-hand (number 2) engine failed. The captain rejected the takeoff and stopped the airplane on the remaining runway. Postincident examination revealed that the tire tread was absent from the number 3 tire on the right-hand main landing gear. One piece of black rubber resembling the tire tread was found lodged in the fan outlet guide vanes. Black smearing marks were observed on several of the fan blades and bent stator vanes of the engine, which also resembled the tire tread material. There was substantial damage to the engine and minor airframe damage.

On August 24, 1997, at 1350 hours Pacific daylight time, an Airbus A300 B4-203, N862PA, lost power to the number 2 engine and aborted the takeoff on runway 24L at Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California. The airplane sustained minor damage. There were no injuries to the 3 cockpit crewmembers, 8 cabin crewmembers, and 254 passengers. The airplane was being operated on an instrument flight plan by Pan American World Airways as flight 6, a scheduled domestic passenger flight under 14 CFR Part 121. The flight was destined for John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jamaica, New York. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

The cockpit crew reported feeling a vibration in the aircraft during the takeoff roll and then hearing a loud noise while accelerating past 145 knots. According to the captain, the airplane was loaded heavily with fuel and passengers and the takeoff decision speed (V1) was 159 knots. The captain rejected the takeoff and stopped the airplane on the 10,285-foot-long runway with about 800 feet remaining.

Postincident examination revealed that the tire tread was absent from the number 3 tire on the right-hand main landing gear. One piece of black rubber resembling the tire tread (2-4 inches long) was found lodged in the fan outlet guide vanes. Black smearing marks were observed on several of the fan blades and bent stator vanes of the engine, which also resembled the tire tread material. The number 2 engine fan was destroyed and several outlet guide vanes were damaged. There was a hole through the engine fan cowl at the 6 o'clock position. The engine's accessory gearbox was fractured to the left of the constant speed drive (CSD) and generator. Oil was leaking from the fracture and two broken oil return lines from the CSD and generator. Minor damage was also observed on the right-hand landing gear door, inboard flap, and all-speed aileron.

Metallurgical examination of the failed compressor fan blades revealed that features noted along the fracture surfaces were consistent with ductile overload and rapid tensile shear. The metallurgist noted that there was no evidence of metallurgical fatigue present at the fractures and opined that liberation of the blade tips occurred as a result of a "single overload event."

The aircraft's Lockheed model 209F flight data recorder was read out and evaluated at the Safety Board's laboratory in Washington, D.C. The specialist's report is attached. The report states that both engines were operating within normal limits for a period of time before a positive lateral acceleration and a decrease in longitudinal acceleration were recorded at FDR time 5195.2 seconds, after which the aircraft decelerated. The report also notes that there were four parameters reporting erroneous values. The four were engine vibration monitors for the fan and compressor of each engine.