Narrative:
Flight 1-11 arrived at Okinawa at 16:25 following a flight from New York via Seattle, Anchorage Cold Bay and Tokyo. The flight departed Okinawa at 17:12 GMT for the last leg of the flight to Manila. Two hours after takeoff, at 03:15 local time, the no. 2 engine experienced a power loss, indicated by a drop in mean effective pressure and manifold pressure. Believing the difficulty was carburetor icing the crew tried to correct the problem. The problems persisted and the captain then noticed the oil-out temperature for no. 2 engine rising. Attempts to feather the no. 2 propeller failed and the flight was cleared to descend from FL180 to FL100. An emergency was declared at 03:40. While at 9000 feet it was attempted to actuate the firewall shutoff valve, depriving the engine of lubricant and thus to stop the (no. 2) engine rotation. The propeller then wrenched free of the engine and struck the fuselage, slashing a 15inch hole. There was a continuous fire warning from the no. 2 engine and a fire on the wing was reported to Manila at 04.20. A 3000 feet/min descent from 9000 feet was made. At 1000 feet descent rate was decreased to 100-200 feet/min and a ditching was carried out. Upon final contact with the water, the aft end of the fuselage broke free at the rear of the pressure bulkhead. At the same time the right wing as torn free and the engines separated. The wing floated for 3 hours, temporarily serving as a liferaft for several passengers. The remainder of the fuselage, sank some 8 or 10 minutes after impact. All occupants were rescued by US Coast Guard and US Navy aircraft 4-6 hours after the accident. Of the 58 occupants, 44 suffered minor injuries and one woman passenger died.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was due to the internal failure of No.2 engine, which resulted in oil contamination, loss of oil supply, subsequent loss of the No.2 propeller assembly, and fire in flight, which necessitated a ditching."
Ditching
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Thursday 14 July 1960 |
| Time: | 04:30 |
| Type: |  Douglas DC-7C |
| Operator: | Northwest Orient Airlines |
| Registration: | N292 |
| MSN: | 45462/925 |
| First flight: | 1958 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9233 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 51 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 58 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | 8 km (5 mls) NE off Polillo Island ( Philippines)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Okinawa-Naha Airport (OKA/ROAH), Japan |
| Manila International Airport (MNL/RPLL), Philippines | |
| Flightnumber: | 1-11 |
Flight 1-11 arrived at Okinawa at 16:25 following a flight from New York via Seattle, Anchorage Cold Bay and Tokyo. The flight departed Okinawa at 17:12 GMT for the last leg of the flight to Manila. Two hours after takeoff, at 03:15 local time, the no. 2 engine experienced a power loss, indicated by a drop in mean effective pressure and manifold pressure. Believing the difficulty was carburetor icing the crew tried to correct the problem. The problems persisted and the captain then noticed the oil-out temperature for no. 2 engine rising. Attempts to feather the no. 2 propeller failed and the flight was cleared to descend from FL180 to FL100. An emergency was declared at 03:40. While at 9000 feet it was attempted to actuate the firewall shutoff valve, depriving the engine of lubricant and thus to stop the (no. 2) engine rotation. The propeller then wrenched free of the engine and struck the fuselage, slashing a 15inch hole. There was a continuous fire warning from the no. 2 engine and a fire on the wing was reported to Manila at 04.20. A 3000 feet/min descent from 9000 feet was made. At 1000 feet descent rate was decreased to 100-200 feet/min and a ditching was carried out. Upon final contact with the water, the aft end of the fuselage broke free at the rear of the pressure bulkhead. At the same time the right wing as torn free and the engines separated. The wing floated for 3 hours, temporarily serving as a liferaft for several passengers. The remainder of the fuselage, sank some 8 or 10 minutes after impact. All occupants were rescued by US Coast Guard and US Navy aircraft 4-6 hours after the accident. Of the 58 occupants, 44 suffered minor injuries and one woman passenger died.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was due to the internal failure of No.2 engine, which resulted in oil contamination, loss of oil supply, subsequent loss of the No.2 propeller assembly, and fire in flight, which necessitated a ditching."
Accident investigation:
|
Classification:
Prop/turbine blade separationDitching
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Okinawa-Naha Airport to Manila International Airport as the crow flies is 1462 km (914 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Okinawa-Naha Airport to Manila International Airport as the crow flies is 1462 km (914 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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