Boeing 747-128 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 28, 2001
On December 28, 2001 at about 11:27 am local time, a Boeing 747-128, registered N3203Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Ted Stevens Int'L Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's inadequate preflight planning, and failure to calculate the airplane weight and balance prior to departure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2001 · about 11:27 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Ted Stevens Int'L Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-128 · all 747-128s on the register
- Registration
- N3203Y · no longer on the register · serial 19751
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew of a Boeing 747 cargo airplane made a scheduled fuel stop in Anchorage, Alaska, in preparation for the final leg of the flight to Travis AFB. The accident airplane was refueled with about 100,000 lbs. of fuel. During takeoff in Anchorage, the tail of the airplane struck the runway, and sustained substantial damage. A postaccident investigation revealed that prior to departure, the crew failed to account for the weight of the additional fuel, and inadvertently used the same performance cards that were used for the previous landing. The crew was unaware that the tail had struck the runway until after arrival at Travis AFB.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 3,990 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 11,600 as pilot in command; 777 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 1,947 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 9,100 as pilot in command; 3,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Certificate: flight engineer
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 87,407.8 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 12, 2001; 157.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 734,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Evergreen International Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 11:12 am
- Destination: KSUU Travis Afb CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 10,696 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.