Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8

Last updated

Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8
Reeve Aleutian L-188C Electra N1968R 1.jpg
Lockheed L-188C N1968R, the aircraft involved
Accident
DateJune 8, 1983
SummaryPropeller separation leading to rapid decompression, cause undetermined
Site Pacific Ocean near Cold Bay Airport, Cold Bay, Alaska, United States
61°11′06″N150°00′14″W / 61.185°N 150.004°W / 61.185; -150.004
Aircraft
Aircraft type Lockheed L-188 Electra
Operator Reeve Aleutian Airways
IATA flight No.RV8
ICAO flight No.RVV8
Call signREEVE 8
Registration N1968R
Flight origin Cold Bay Airport, Cold Bay, Alaska
Destination Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, SeaTac, Washington
Occupants15
Passengers10
Crew5
Fatalities0
Injuries0
Survivors15

Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 was an American domestic flight from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, on June 8, 1983. [1] Shortly after takeoff, the Lockheed L-188 Electra of Reeve Aleutian Airways was travelling over the Pacific Ocean when one of the propellers broke away from its engine and struck the fuselage, damaging the flight controls. The pilots were able to make an emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport; none of the 15 passengers and crew on board were injured in the accident.

Contents

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Lockheed L-188C Electra, powered by four turboprop engines, with manufacturer's serial number 2007 and registration N1968R. It had been delivered to Qantas in 1959. In 1968, after service with other airlines, including Air New Zealand and the California Airmotive Corporation, the aircraft was sold to Reeve Aleutian. [2] It had flown approximately 33,000 hours in service at the time the accident happened. [3]

Flight

Just after takeoff from Cold Bay Airport, on the Alaska Peninsula for a flight across the northern Pacific Ocean to Seattle, Washington, with 10 passengers, the crew noted an unusual vibration in the aircraft, but was unable to isolate the source. As the aircraft climbed from FL190 (around 19,000 feet (5,800 m)) to FL250 (25,000 feet (7,600 m)), the flight engineer left the cockpit to visually check the engines from the passenger cabin, but saw nothing amiss. The flight attendant went into the cockpit to discuss the vibration, which suddenly increased in intensity as she went back into the cabin. She looked out the window and saw the propeller on the No. 4 engine (the outboard engine on the right wing) detach itself and fly spinning under the fuselage. The propeller tore a gash 8 feet (2.4 m) long in the aircraft's belly, depressurizing the cabin and jamming the flight and engine controls. [4] [5] The pilots managed to gain some control of the aircraft by using the autopilot and diverted the aircraft to Anchorage. With the engine throttle controls jammed at cruise power, on approach to land the crew was able to make the aircraft descend and climb after shutting down No. 2 (the left inboard) engine in combination with lowering and raising the landing gear. [4] [6]

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Landing footage on YouTube

The Electra landed safely at Anchorage International Airport, in spite of the loss of almost all flight controls. The crew had to shut down all engines once the aircraft was on the ground to help bring it to a stop; one tire blew out and the emergency brakes caught fire. [5] Nobody was hurt when the propeller hit the fuselage or during the emergency landing, during which the plane veered off the runway and landed in a ditch. The captain, 54-year-old James Gibson, with 5,700 hours' experience flying Electras, was honored for the successful landing by a meeting with President Ronald Reagan in the White House. [3] [7] The Air Line Pilots Association also honored Captain Gibson, 39-year-old First Officer Gary Lintner, and 46-year-old Flight Engineer Gerald "Moose" Laurin later in 1983 with its Superior Airmanship Award. [8]

The propeller fell into the Pacific Ocean and was never recovered for examination. The reason for its separation is unknown. [4]

Aftermath

C-GHZI in 2007, operating as an air tanker for Air Spray. Lockheed L-188C(AT) Electra, Air Spray AN1245829.jpg
C-GHZI in 2007, operating as an air tanker for Air Spray.

Following the accident, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service. [9] N1968R was unregistered in 2001 and was exported to Canada as C-GHZI, where it was used as a firefighting craft. It has continued in this role, as of August 2020, operating as Air Spray 484, dropping retardant on wildfires in Northern California. It returned to its base in Alberta, Canada, on August 28, 2020. Still as C-GHZI, the L-188 was airworthy and in service in June 2022. [10]

The airline continued flight operations after the accident, but began to succumb to financial issues in the early 1990s. Reeve Aleutian Airways ceased operations on December 5, 2000. [11]

Flight Engineer Gerald "Moose" Laurin died on February 5, 2009, at the age of 72; Captain James Gibson died on January 5, 2010, at the age of 80, and First Officer Gary Lintner died on January 9, 2020, at the age of 75.

Dramatization

The events of Flight 8 were featured in season 12 of the TV series Mayday , in an episode named "Fight for Control". [12]

This flight was also discussed in Episode 114 of the Rooster Teeth podcast Black Box Down. [13]

Related Research Articles

Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeve Aleutian Airways</span> Former American airline, 1947–2000

Reeve Aleutian Airways was an airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It ceased operations on December 5, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed L-188 Electra</span> American turboprop airliner by Lockheed, built 1957–1961

The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings, large Fowler flaps which significantly increased effective wing area when extended, and four-engined design, the airplane had airfield performance capabilities unmatched by many jet transport aircraft even today—particularly on short runways and high altitude airfields. Jet airliners soon supplanted turboprops for many purposes, and many Electras were modified as freighters. Some Electras are still being used in various roles into the 21st century. The airframe was also used as the basis for the Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas DC-7</span> US airliner with 4 piston engines, 1953

The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. A derivative of the DC-6, it was the last major piston engine-powered transport made by Douglas, being developed shortly after the earliest jet airliner—the de Havilland Comet—entered service and only a few years before the jet-powered Douglas DC-8 first flew in 1958. Larger numbers of both DC-7B and DC-7C variants were also built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra</span> 1930s American family of airliners

The Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra was an American civil passenger and cargo aircraft built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation during the late 1930s. An outgrowth of the earlier Model 10 Electra, the Model 14 was also developed into larger, more capable civil and military versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adak Airport</span> Island airport in Alaska, United States

Adak Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located west of Adak, on Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is the farthest western airfield with scheduled passenger air service in the entire United States at 176.64W.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Bay Airport</span> Airport in Alaska, United States

Cold Bay Airport is a state owned, public use airport located in Cold Bay, a city in the Aleutians East Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. First built as a United States Army Air Forces airfield during World War II, it is one of the main airports serving the Alaska Peninsula. Scheduled passenger service is available and air taxi operators fly in and out of the airport daily. Formerly, the airport operated as Thornbrough Air Force Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unalaska Airport</span> Airport in Amaknak Island

Tom Madsen Airport is a state-owned public-use airport in City of Unalaska, on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located near the Bering Sea coast of Unalaska Island, 800 miles (1,300 km) southwest of Anchorage and 1,950 miles (3,140 km) from Seattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Air Lines Flight 375</span> 1960 aviation bird strike accident

Eastern Air Lines Flight 375, registration N5533, was a Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft that crashed on takeoff from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 4, 1960. Ten survived, nine with serious injuries, but 62 of 72 on board were killed in the accident. It remains the deadliest bird strike in aviation history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saudia Flight 162</span> 1980 aviation accident

Saudia Flight 162 was a scheduled flight from Dhahran International Airport, Saudi Arabia, to Karachi International Airport, Pakistan, that suffered a high-altitude uncontrolled decompression above international waters off Qatar, killing two children who were among the 271 passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLM Flight 823</span> 1961 aviation accident

KLM Flight 823 was an air accident in 1961 involving a Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft that crashed on approach to Cairo International Airport in Egypt after a flight from Rome in Italy. The crash killed 20 out of 29 passengers and 7 crew on flight 823.

Several aviation incidents and accidents have occurred in which the control surfaces of an aircraft became disabled, often due to failure of hydraulic systems or the flight control system. Other incidents have occurred where controls were not functioning correctly prior to take-off, either due to maintenance or pilot error, and controls can become inoperative from extreme weather conditions. Aircraft are not designed to be flown in such circumstances; however, a small number of pilots have had some success in flying and landing aircraft with disabled controls.

Pacific American Airlines was a United States charter airline headquartered in Burbank, California. Its predecessor was formed in 1946 as Airplane Charter by Mercer and renamed to Mercer Airlines in 1955. The company was renamed Pacific American in 1976. The airline provided interstate passenger and cargo charter services as well as contract services for the United States Navy in the Pacific area. It has since ceased operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Overseas Airways Corporation</span> 1939–1974 British state-owned airline

British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passing of the Civil Aviation Act 1946, European and South American services passed to two further state-owned airlines, British European Airways (BEA) and British South American Airways (BSAA). BOAC absorbed BSAA in 1949, but BEA continued to operate British domestic and European routes for the next quarter century. The Civil Aviation Act 1971 merged BOAC and BEA, effective 31 March 1974, forming today's British Airways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PenAir Flight 3296</span> 2019 aviation accident

PenAir Flight 3296 was a domestic scheduled flight from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, to Unalaska Airport on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska. On October 17, 2019, the Saab 2000 operating the flight overran the runway after landing at its destination airport. Of the 42 passengers and crew on board, one passenger was fatally injured when a propeller blade penetrated the fuselage, one was seriously injured and ten suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged during the accident and written off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E</span> 1993 Aviation accident over Alaska

Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E was a scheduled cargo flight on 31 March 1993, operated by Evergreen International Airlines, on behalf of Japan Air Lines, from Anchorage International Airport, in Anchorage, Alaska, to O'Hare International Airport, in Chicago. After departure, while climbing through 2,000 feet, the pylon for engine two detached, causing the whole engine to fall off the wing. The pilots managed to land the 747 back at Anchorage without further incident.

References

  1. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  2. "Registration Details for N1968R (Reeve Aleutian Airways) L-188-C - PlaneLogger". www.planelogger.com. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Aviation Accident Final Report" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. DCA83AA029. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Final Report, DCA83AA029". ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board . Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Near-tragedy probed in Canada; Flight crew praised for landing". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. June 10, 1983. p. A-12. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  6. "Crew members used 'a combination of backup systems' to..." United Press International. June 9, 1983. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  7. "President Salutes Controller, Pilot". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . June 21, 1983. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  8. "Alpa honours air safety efforts". Flight International. Vol. 124, no. 3875. London: Transport Press. August 13, 1983. p. 409. ISSN   0015-3710 . Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  9. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-188C Electra N1968R Cold Bay Airport, AK (CDB)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  10. Accessed 19 June 2022 https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/c-ghzi
  11. Magoon, Ashley (April 23, 2015). "TBT in Aviation History: Reeve Aleutian Airways". airlinegeeks.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  12. "Fight for Control". Mayday . Season 12. Episode 1. Cineflix. August 3, 2012. Discovery Channel Canada.
  13. Sorola, Gustavo; Demarais, Chris (April 20, 2023). "Propeller Detaches and Cuts Open Belly of Passenger Plane". Rooster Teeth . Retrieved April 27, 2023.