- Date
- September 29, 1984, 14:38 local (21:38 UTC)
- Place
- Seattle, WA
- Injuries
- 172 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N613USBoeing 747-200B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840929065079I
- Case key
- 39839
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Analysis
During climbout, passing thru 4000 ft MSL, the acft experienced a failure of the #2 engine. The crew reported hearing an explosive sound followed by a drop in fuel flow with N1 speed decreasing to 30% RPM on the #2 engine. The acft returned to Seattle for an uneventful landing. The engine exhaust tail cone and numerous turbine blades were located in a rural area aprx 11 miles south of the arpt. Investigation revealed the turbine stator support structure had weakened by sulfidation due to exhaust gages escaping thru an inspection port. Failure of the port allowed contact with the turbine blades, resulting in blade escaped and subsequent imbalance.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N613US
- Reported as
- Boeing 747-200B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20358
- Airframe hours
- 44,962
- Engine
- P&W JT9D-7FCN, 50,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Northwest Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 26, 1984 · 689 hours before
- Departed
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Destination
- SEL · Seoul, Korea, OF
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,939 total · 2,739 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SEA, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.