BOEING 747

Pacific Ocean — July 30, 2010

Event Information

DateJuly 30, 2010
Event TypeINC
NTSB NumberENG10WA048
Event ID20100831X62338
LocationPacific Ocean
CountryUSA
Coordinates37.61666, 122.36667
Highest Injury—

Aircraft

MakeBOEING
Model747
CategoryAIR
FAR Part129
Aircraft DamageMINR

Conditions

Light Condition—
Weather—

Injuries

Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
None0
Total Injured0

Event Location

Full Narrative

On July 30, 2010 at about 12:55 PM (local) a Qantas Boeing 747-400, registration VH-OJP, flight QF-74, experienced an uncontained No. 4 engine failure about 45 minutes after departure from San Francisco, CA. The flight crew reported that the failure occurred as the airplane was climbing through FL250. There were 212 passengers and 19 crewmembers aboard. The flight destination was Sydney, NS, Australia. The crew shut the engine down, descended the aircraft to FL200, dumped fuel over the Pacific Ocean and returned to San Francisco for a safe landing about 80 minutes after departure. No injuries were reported. Post-event inspection found a large hole in the outboard side of the No. 4 engine nacelle, in the vicinity of the engine turbine section. Additional airframe damage has not been reported. The airplane is powered by Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines.

This incident is being investigated by Australia's Air Transport Safety Board (ATSB). For further information please contact -

Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)
P.O. Box 967, Civic Square
Canberra A.C.T. 2608
Australia

Tele: (61) 2 6257-4150 (24/7 Notifications)
(61) 2 6274-6464 (International liaison)
E-mail: [email protected] (International liaison)

Website: http://www.atsb.gov.au

This report is for informational purposes and contains only information obtained for or released by Australia.

About This NTSB Record

This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

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