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Olympic Airways Flight 411

Olympic Airways Flight 411 was a flight from Ellinikon International Airport bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport and operated by Olympic Airways using a Boeing 747-200. On August 9, 1978, the flight came close to crashing in downtown Athens. Despite maneuvers near the edge of the flight envelope, none of the 418 passengers and crew suffered serious injury.

Olympic Airways Flight 411
SX-OAA, the Olympic Airways 747-200 involved in the incident showing the aircraft livery in use at the time
Accident
DateAugust 9, 1978 (1978-08-09)
SummaryLoss of speed and altitude due to crew error, safely returned to airport[1]
SiteAthens, Greece
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 747-284B[2][a]
Aircraft nameOlympic Zeus[2]
OperatorOlympic Airways
IATA flight No.OA411
ICAO flight No.OAL411
Call signOLYMPIC 411
RegistrationSX-OAA[1]
Flight originEllinikon International Airport
DestinationJohn F. Kennedy International Airport
Occupants418
Passengers400[b]
Crew18[b]
Fatalities0[b]
InjuriesPresumably none
Survivors418[b]

Based upon review of the flight data recorder, Boeing concluded that nine seconds after takeoff, the flight crew had inadvertently turned off the water injection pumps in response to warnings, which reduced thrust. Turning off the pumps when the plane was in takeoff climb limited the plane's ability to climb. Boeing states that thrust was increased manually after 325 seconds and then the plane climbed normally.

Captain Sifis Migadis and Captain Kostas Fikardos managed to keep the aircraft in the air at an extremely low altitude below minimal speed. All Boeing simulations of the flight resulted in crashes.

Flight details

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Background

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The Boeing 747 was the first "jumbo jet". It was a prestige aircraft in the 1970s and purchased by many airlines as a fleet flagship.[5] Olympic Airways received its first 747 in 1973.[6] Olympic Airways was the flag carrier for Greece and had purchased 747s for some of its prime routes, including a nonstop between Athens and New York.[3] This meant that large numbers of American tourists could be accommodated in one flight[3] at lower per-seat costs to the airlines.[5]

 
View from the Areopagus of the Hill of the Nymphs, with Mount Aigaleo in the distance

Athens lies in the center of four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pentelicus to the northeast and Mount Hymettus to the east. The geographical area is called Athens Basin or the Attica Basin (Greek: Λεκανοπέδιο Αθηνών/Αττικής).[7] The meteorology of Athens is deemed to be one of the most complex in the world because its mountains cause a temperature inversion phenomenon.[8] The temperature that day was 32 °C (90 °F).[1]

The captain of the flight was 55-year-old Sifis Migadis, who had 32 years of experience with Olympic.[4] The co-pilot, Konstantinos "Kostas" Fikardos, was equally experienced and was a close friend of Migadis and in this flight happened to be Migadis's instructor.[9]

Accident aircraft

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The airplane involved in the incident, seen in TWA colours in 1986.

SX-OAA, named Olympic Zeus, was an Olympic Boeing 747-200.[1][3] The 747-200 model featured more powerful engines and a higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) than the previous 747-100 model.[10] One of the principal technologies that enabled an aircraft as large as the 747 to takeoff was the high-bypass turbofan engine.[11] In the late 1960s, Pratt & Whitney developed a new such engine, and designated the JT9D to power the 747;[12][13] with water injection, it delivered more thrust for the heavy jumbo jet.[13][14]

On August 9, 1978, 418 passengers and crew were scheduled to take off from Athens at 2:00 pm on a direct flight to New York. The plane was heavy with the 160 tons of fuel required for the transatlantic flight.[3][9] The plane, which weighed 350,000 kilograms (770,000 lb) on the day of the flight, was takeoff climb limited at 353,000 kilograms (778,000 lb) using the JT9D-7A wet thrust engine.[1][c]

Flight summary

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According to Boeing, engines 3 and 4 idled lower than usual as the aircraft taxied. The plane initially took off and climbed normally.[1][d] Boeing states that around nine seconds after engine #3 failure, the water pump switch was turned off, when the flight crew misinterpreted the "water flow" warning as "water run-out". Speed decreased and altitude was lost.[16][circular reference]

The two captains, contrary to the aircraft flight manual, immediately ordered the landing gear retracted[15] when the plane was 35 feet (11 m) above the runway.[1] Migadis and Fikardos used their knowledge of aerodynamics to prevent the plane from stalling.[3] The minimum speed for a 747 is 180 miles per hour (160 kn; 290 km/h).[15][17] The pilots needed to fly level and avoid turning as much as possible.[17] They also focused on getting the plane away from the city and to an unpopulated area, like Mount Aigaleo,[3] to reduce the loss of lives if the plane crashed.[15] While Migadis and Fikardos flew the plane, the engineer focused on the problems with the engines.[3]

The plane climbed sluggishly to an altitude of just 209 feet (64 m) as it approached the 200-foot-tall (61 m) Pani Hill in Alimos,[4][9] after which the plane lost altitude.[15] As it passed over Kallithea, Nea Smyrni, and Syggrou, its altitude was only 180 feet (55 m) and its speed was 160 miles per hour (140 kn; 260 km/h).[3][17][e] The plane flew just above apartment rooftops[3] and took down some television antennas.[17] The aircraft passed close to the Interamerican Tower.[17][18] At some point, Fikardos and Migadis lowered the nose of the plane to gain speed and the engineer was able to increase the engines' power.[4] When the speed reached 170 miles per hour (150 kn; 270 km/h), Migadis and Fikardos worked on increasing altitude and heading towards the sea.[15]

The larger obstacle of Mount Aigaleo at 1,539 feet (469 m) was of great concern because the low airspeed and minimal altitude did not leave the flight crew enough room to execute a normal banked turn.[3][9] At 2:05 pm, a light headwind gave the plane some altitude, which allowed Migadis and Fikardos to make a gradual turn to avoid crashing into the mountain.[19] After flying over the sea to dump fuel, the aircraft returned to Ellinikon International Airport safely.[3][9][f]

Conclusions

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The Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board, the Greek national air safety board that investigates aviation accidents and incidents, was not established until 2004.[20] Brien S. Wygle, the vice president of Customer Support at Boeing, issued a report entitled Performance Analysis of the Olympic Airways Takeoff at Athens on August 9, 1978 with an Engine Failure at Rotation to Alex Fissher, Director of Flight Standards at the Greek Civilian Aviation Authority.[1] Boeing concluded that,

...no malfunction in airframe or engines caused the lack of performance following takeoff. Instead, the problem was caused by the inadvertent shut off of the water injection pumps by the flight crew and the resulting decrease in thrust. Loss of wet thrust in a situation where the airplane was takeoff climb limited severely reduced the ability to continue the flight with any significant amount of positive climb gradient. Once thrust was manually increased at a coordination time of approximately 325 seconds, the airplane climbed out in a normal manner.

— Brien S. Wygle, vice president of Customer Service, Boeing[1]

Newspapers reported that engine three exploded during takeoff due to overheating of the turbine cooling pipes.[17] From the flight recorder, the lowest speed during the flight was 158 miles per hour (137 kn; 254 km/h). The dangerous period of the flight lasted 93 seconds.[15] Migadis managed to keep the aircraft in the air at an extremely low altitude and with below-minimum speed. All Boeing simulations of the flight resulted in crashes.[17] Olympic Airways changed some of its procedures based upon the lessons learned from this flight.[15] Boeing's training curriculum includes review of this case.[3][17]

Other factors

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See also: British Airtours Flight 28M, British Airways Flight 2276, and American Airlines Flight 383 (2016)

In the late 1960s, Pratt & Whitney developed the JT9D engine on an accelerated timetable, which resulted in engine flaws.[13][g] In the 1970s, the JT9D engine had a number of mechanical issues and proper maintenance was required to ensure the engine's safety. For instance, high-pressure turbine core fan blades could become damaged and require replacement after 500 hours. The JT9D engines were also sensitive to tailwind airflow conditions at start.[14] The early JT9D engines could flame out if the thrust levers were slammed forward. The jarring movement could put pressure on the engine and ultimately result in a flame out.[14]

In 1971, American Airlines Flight 14 took off from San Francisco for New York. Sixteen seconds after the Boeing 747 took off, the Pratt & Whitney JT9D number 1 engine exploded after its turbine blades disintegrated. It was at an altitude of 525 feet (160 m). The National Transportation Safety Board said in its incident report that this was likely due to an ongoing pattern of the engine overheating during starting procedures. The plane returned to the airport and landed safely.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Olympic Airways had five 747s, two were built for Olympia with the 747-284 model number, and three that Olympic Airways purchased from Singapore Airlines, with the 747-212 model number.[2] Its first flight was June 2, 1973, Olympic Airways received the plane on June 21, 1973. It went to TWA on April 10, 1985. It was broken up at Marana, Arizona in the United States in March 1999.[2]
  2. ^ a b c d Greek newspapers reported that there were 400 passengers, 18 crew, and a total of 418 total people on board. The plane arrived safely back at the airport.[3][4]
  3. ^ At takeoff, the flaps were set to 20, A/C packs were off, the temperature was 32 °C (90 °F), the atmospheric pressure was 29.83 inHg, and the wind from/speed was 310/12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The plane took off from runway 33R with a -.28% slope.[1]
  4. ^ It was also reported that as the plane moved down the runway, it was hard for the pilots to get enough speed for takeoff. Just before lifting off, the crew heard an explosion, the plane had suffered an engine failure from the #3 engine.[3] By that time, the plane had exceeded the takeoff safety speed, meaning it was no longer safe to abort the take-off.[4][15] Boeing's investigation found that the incident began just after takeoff.[1]
  5. ^ It is also stated that the plane was 60 feet (18 m) above Egaleo's apartment buildings.[15]
  6. ^ The same day at 6 p.m. Migadis and Fikardos flew another plane safely to New York.[3][4]
  7. ^ Pan Am's inaugural flight to London was delayed due to the overheated JT9D engine. Boeing sued United Aircraft for $94 million dollars for JT9D engine-related issues. The aircraft manufacturer recorded a loss of $43 million in 1971, as the result of a $137 writeoff that was directly attributed to the JT9D engine. Improvements were made to the engine in later versions.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wygle, Brien S. (October 25, 1978). "Performance Analysis of the Olympic Airways Takeoff at Athens on August 9, 1978 with an Engine Failure at Rotation". Boeing. Retrieved 2022-02-18 – via SCRIBD.
  2. ^ a b c d "Λίγα λόγια για την ιστορία των πέντε Jumbo της OA" [A few words about the history of OA's five Jumbo] (in Greek). March 16, 2016. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Σίφης Μιγάδης: Ο πιλότος που πέταξε με κατεστραμμένο κινητήρα πάνω από την Αθήνα" [Sifis Migadis: The pilots who flew over Athens with a damaged engine]. In.gr (in Greek). 21 September 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Andreadis, Panagiotis (8 October 2018). "Σήφης Μιγάδης: Ένας πιλότος θρύλος της Ολυμπιακής που κατάφερε να σώσει … ένα "χαμένο" αεροπλάνο" [Sifis Migadis: A pilot legend of Olympiaki who managed to save… a "lost" plane]. People News (in Greek). Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b Tegler, Eric (6 July 2020). "Why the 747 Is Such a Badass Plane". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Missile-Carrying 747s: A New Role For The Versatile Jumbojet". The Daily Courier. 1973-05-25. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  7. ^ "Focus on Athens" (PDF). UHI Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 1, May 2009, page 2. urbanheatisland.info. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  8. ^ Tung, Anthony (2001). "The City the Gods Besieged". Preserving the World's Great Cities: The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis. New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 266. ISBN 0-609-80815-X.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Σήφης Μιγάδης: Ο ήρωας πιλότος της ολυμπιακής που έσωσε εκατοντάδες ανθρώπους από βέβαιο θάνατο!" [Sifis Migadis: The hero pilot of the Olympics who saved hundreds of people from certain death!]. Athens Magazine (in Greek). 15 September 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Boeing 747 Classics." The Boeing Company. Retrieved: December 15, 2007.
  11. ^ Mecham, M. "In review: 747, Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation." Aviation Week and Space Technology, Vol. 165, No. 9, September 4, 2006, p. 53.
  12. ^ Colson, Michael S. "Mechanical Engineering 100 Years of Flight." Archived December 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine memagazine.org. Retrieved: December 9, 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d Bender, Marylin (1972-04-09). "Giant Jets Pose Giant Problems". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  14. ^ a b c Cole, Lance (2021-11-30). Boeing 747: The Original Jumbo Jet. Air World. pp. 11, 12. ISBN 978-1-5267-6005-0.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Σήφης Μιγάδης: Ο πιλότος-θρύλος της Ολυμπιακής που έσωσε 418 επιβάτες από βέβαιο θανατο (βίντεο)" [Sifis Migadis: The two legendary pilots of Olympiaki who saved 418 passengers from certain death (video)]. Globe news (in Greek). 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2020. Including content from an interview with Migadis, which was aired on Costas Papapetrou's show "One in a Thousand" (1994). (See The pilot who flew over Athens with a damaged engine)
  16. ^ Aviation Safety Network Accident description
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ολυμπιακή Αεροπορία πτήση 411: Οταν κατα την απογείωση το ΑΕΡΟΠΛΑΝΟ εξυσε τις πολυκατοικίες στον Αλιμο" [Olympic Aviation flight 411: When during the take-off the PLANE scraped the apartment buildings in Alimos] (in Greek). 2020-12-27. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  18. ^ "ΠΤΗΣΗ 411". Πρώτο Πλάνο (Se Proto Plano, Greek television show) (in Greek). March 16, 2015. ANT1. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ "Πτήση 411". Πρώτο Πλάνο (Se Proto Plano, Greek television show) (in Greek). ANT1.
  20. ^ "AAIASB History". Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  21. ^ "Turbine's Blades Linked to 747 Fire". The New York Times. 1971-03-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
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37°53′54″N 23°43′46″E / 37.898333°N 23.729444°E / 37.898333; 23.729444

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