On September 15, 1989, a Lockheed WP-3D Orion operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experienced an engine fire while flying through the eyewall of Hurricane Hugo. The crew managed to extinguish the fire and safely return to Barbados.[1]
Systems Engineers Al Goldstein and Terry Schricker
Radar Technician Neil Rain
Lead Scientist Frank Marks
Radar Scientist Peter Dodge
Doppler Radar Scientist Bob Burpee
Air-Sea Scientist Pete Black
Dropsonde Scientist Hugh Willoughby
Observer Jim McFadden
Reporter Janice Griffith of the Barbados Sun
Incident
Between September 15 and September 22, aircraft from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) penetrated the eye of Hurricane Hugo 76times, documenting the location of the storm's center roughly once every two hours.[3] Among these planes was a WP-3D Orion serviced by the NOAA and nicknamed Kermit (callsignN42RF).[4][5] It had been deployed to Barbados alongside another WP-3D Orion as part of a research experiment coordinated by the Hurricane Research Division.[5] The goal of the mission (termed the Hurricane Energetics experiment) was to gather data related to the hurricane (such as wind speeds and the location of the hurricane) which would help predict future hurricanes before they occur and thus save lives.[6]
The WP-3 Orion when its inner-most right-wing engine failed
Prior to entering the hurricane, the plane's belly radar failed after which the storm increased in intensity reaching a category 5 with winds reaching 200 mph.[6] NOAA 42 descended from 10000 feet to just 1500 feet above the ocean and entered the eyewall of the hurricane.[6] Instantly, it was buffeted by strong winds, causing it to bank to the left and right, as well as dive sharply down, requiring the crew to apply rudder inputs to maintain control of the plane.[6] The violent winds created enormous g-forces on the plane reaching +5.8 g's and -3.7 g's, far greater than it was built to withstand.[6] It caused items not securely tied down in the cabin to fly around.[7] The strong winds also caused damage to the aircraft with the deicing boot on the number 4 engine detaching.[6] Soon afterwards, the number 3 engine caught fire, causing the plane to lose altitude.[6] The pilots managed to extinguish the fire. The pilots regained control at an altitude of 790ft (240m) at 17:28 UTC.[5][4] NOAA 42 then entered the calm eye of the storm. To avoid overworking the three remaining engines, the pilots orbited the center of Hugo for an hour within the 9-mile-wide (14-kilometer) eye while bringing the plane to a gradual ascent.[5] Fuel was also ejected from Kermit's lower fuselage to lighten the plane's weight, enabling it to fly higher.[6] The crew decided to fly out of the eyewall at 6000 feet where the winds would be less intense.[6] The plane climbed to an altitude of 7,200 ft (2,200 m) before departing the eye via the northeast eyewall and landed safely at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados with no further incidents.[6]
Investigation
The investigation conducted by the NOAA found that the sensor on the fuel control unit of the number 3 engine could not regulate the amount of fuel flowing to the engine, resulting in too much fuel flowing to the engine and causing it to catch fire.[6] The turbulence encountered by NOAA 42 was not a factor in the engine fire.[6] The investigation also found that the eyewall of Hurricane Hugo contained mesovortices (small tornado-like areas with extremely strong winds) which was a weather phenomenon never before seen in hurricanes.[6] The researchers were unaware of the mesovortices present due to the belly radar failing before entering the eyewall (they could not check the updated weather conditions which were changing rapidly) and as a result NOAA 42 flew straight into one.[6] As well, the investigation found that NOAA 42 entered the eyewall at just 1500 feet, 3500 feet lower than recommended for a hurricane of Hugo's size and intensity.[8]
Aftermath
The data collected by NOAA 42 on Hurricane Hugo led to improvements in reporting of weather forecasts and predicting a hurricane's path and intensity.[6] NOAA 42 went on to document more than 30 hurricanes.[6] As well, several changes were put in place regarding hurricane reconnaissance flights requiring all aircraft to fly into the eyewall of a hurricane at an altitude no lower than 5000 feet and that crews should review the mission at hand before flying into a hurricane.[6]
In popular culture
The incident was featured in season 13, episode 6 of the Canadian television series Mayday titled "Into the Eye of the Storm".[6] Shelly Price and Stephanie Hubka from the podcast series Take to the Sky: The Air Disaster Podcast talk about the NOAA 42 incident.[9]
↑ Lawrence, Miles B. (November 15, 1989). Hurricane Hugo(PDF) (Preliminary Report). Miami, Florida: National Hurricane Center. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2020– via National Weather Service.
1 2 "NOAA Aircraft: Image 4". NOAA Celebrates 200 Years of Science, Service, and Stewardship. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 12, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
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