Boeing 747-123 N157UA
2 May 1988 · Nr Tokyo, Japan · No injuries
Summary
On 2 May 1988 at about 19:16 local time, a Boeing 747-123 registered N157UA, operated by United Airlines, was involved in an incident near Nr Tokyo, Japan. 258 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 19:16
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Nr Tokyo, Japan
- Nearest airport
- Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-123
- Registration
- N157UA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles → Tokyo, Japan
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA88IA056
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 258 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 258 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
UNITED FLT 97 EXPERIENCED INDICATIONS OF UNEVEN FUEL FLOW FROM MAIN TANKS 2 AND 3 AT FL360 BEGINNING ABOUT 4- HOURS AFTER DEPARTURE ON AN 11-HOUR TRANSPACIFIC FLIGHT. THE FUEL SYSTEM HAD BEEN SET UP FOR ALL ENGINE FEED FROM THE NOS 2 AND 3 TANKS. ALTHOUGH IT WAS LATER ESTABLISHED THAT THE NUMBER 2 CROSSFEED VALVE FAILED IN THE CLOSED POSITION, THE S/O INFORMED THE CAPT THAT THE INTRANSIT LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VALVE SELECTOR WAS MOVED TO THE CLOSED POSITION - INDICATING NORMAL CROSSFEED VALVE OPERATION. FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM WAS MISDIAGNOSED AS A PROBLEM OF FAULTY FUEL GAGE INDICATIONS. FUEL MONITORING INDICATED INSUFFICIENT FUEL FLOW FROM NO 2 TANK WHEN CROSSFEEDING. ENGS 1, 3, AND 4 FLAMED OUT WHEN FUEL WAS EXPENDED FROM ALL TANKS EXCEPT NO 2. EMERGENCY DESCENT WAS MADE TO DESTINATION TOKYO-NARITA AIRPORT. CREW REPORTED THEY USED FLAPS-20, BUT DFDR SHOWED FLAPS-1 WAS USED FOR LANDING. 3 TIRES BLEW ON LANDING. ALL 3 FLIGHTCREW QUALIFIED IN THE B-747 IN THE 13-MONTHS BEFORE THE INCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 1988 | Boeing 747-200 | Jamaica, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Dec 1988 | Boeing 747SP-21 | Midway Islands, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1988 | Boeing 747 | Schiphol-Amster, Netherlands | KLM | Unknown | - |
| 21 Dec 1988 | Boeing 747-121 | Lockerbie, United Kingdom | Pan AM | Fatal | 259 |
| 16 Dec 1988 | Boeing 747-124 | Hong Kong | Flying Tiger | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1988 | Boeing 747-100 | Georgetown, Guyana | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1987 | Cessna 150L | Ayase, Japan | Atsugi Navy Flying Club | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Jun 1990 | North American F-86E | Okinawa, Japan | Dept of Usaf, HQ 313TH AD PAF | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jan 1992 | Boeing 747-100 | Narita, Japan | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1992 | Piper PA-46-310P | Yokota, Japan | Yokota Aero Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 1994 | Boeing 747 | Narita, Japan | Northwest Airlines, Inc. | Unknown | - |
| 12 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Kumamoto, Japan | McAs Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |