Nearly a year ago, an Atlas Air Boeing 747 freighter faced a significant incident shortly after takeoff, forcing the flight crew to abort their climb. The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) has now released its final report, pinpointing a hydraulic failure and tire damage as the culprits behind the diversion. The trouble began with damage to the seventh and eighth tires during taxiing, which likely led to the hydraulic issues. As the aircraft took off, the exposed main wheels allowed debris from the damaged tires to strike the ceiling pressure bulkhead in the landing gear well. This incident was first reported by The Aviation Herald.
On August 12, 2024, the Atlas Air Boeing 747-400, registered as N404KZ, was en route from Tokyo Narita International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport when the crew had to abort the climb due to hydraulic failure. This failure also caused a drop in cabin pressure. Data from Flightradar24.com shows that the aircraft made an emergency landing back at Narita after spending some time in a holding pattern. The runway was closed for seven hours until the aircraft was towed away. This particular Boeing 747-400F, now 18.4 years old, was initially delivered to Nippon Cargo Airlines in 2007 and has been with Atlas Air since 2017. Atlas Air currently operates 48 of these freighters.
The JTSB report highlights that the incident likely stemmed from damage to the seventh and eighth tires during taxiing. Despite this, the crew proceeded with takeoff, leading to fragments from the damaged tires impacting the landing gear area. It’s possible that a pressure loss in the seventh tire increased the load on the eighth, or debris from the seventh tire caused damage to the eighth. The exact cause of the pressure loss remains undetermined. Fortunately, all seven people on board, including the first officer and five passengers, were unharmed.
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Originally reported by Simple Flying Read More
