Boeing 747-400 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 15, 1989
On December 15, 1989 at about 3:48 pm local time, a Boeing 747-400, registered PHBFC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 245 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH VOLCANIC ASH CLOUD, WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE FROM FOREIGN MATERIAL (FOREIGN OBJECT) AND SUBSEQUENT COMPRESSOR STALLING OF ALL ENGINES. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE LACK OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ASH CLOUD TO ALL PERSONNEL INVOLVED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1989 · about 3:48 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 245 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-400 · all 747-400s on the register
- Registration
- PHBFC · no longer on the register · serial 23982
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BFR TKOF, CREW OF KLM FLT 867 ADZD OF VOLCANIC ERUPTION ABT 100 MI SW OF DESTN. EN ROUTE, FLT ADZD OF ANOTHER ERUPTION. FOR ARR, FLT CLRD TO DSCND FM FL390 AT PLT'S DISCRETION; VCTR GIVEN TO AVOID LAST KNOWN AREA OF ASH CLD. DRG DSCNT THRU FL260, FLT ENCTRD ASH CLD; ASH/SMOKE ENTERED COCKPIT/CABIN. CREW DONNED O2 MASKS; USED MAX PWR TO CLB. 1 MIN LTR, ALL ENGS LOST PWR (TO 28%-30% RPM); THERE WAS ELEC PWR INTRPN, LOSS OF AIRSPD INDCN, FIRE WARNING ALARM FOR FWD CARGO AREA. AFTER 8-9 ATMTS & DSCNT TO 13,300', ALL ENGS RESTARTED & FLT CONTD TO SAFE LDNG. DMG FND ON EXTERNAL SFCS OF ACFT & IN HI PRES TURBINES OF ALL ENGS. BOEING OMB #747-B2-4, ADZD TO AVOID VOLCANIC ACTIVITY; BUT IF ENCTRD, RETARDING THRUST TO IDLE WLD RDC BLDUP IN ENG & IMPROVE STALL MARGIN. ATC RADAR COULD ONLY DETECT VOLCANIC ASH FOR 5-10 MIN AFTER ERUPTION; ACFT RADAR NOT DESIGNED TO DETECT ASH. ASH CLD FCST TO MOV NNE AT 60 KTS; REVIEW OF SATELLITE DATA SHOWED IT ACTUALLY MOVED AT ABT 120 KTS. KLM HAD NO PROC FOR 747 ENCTR WITH ASH CLD & NO ADNL INSTRNS WERE GIVEN TO KLM CREWS.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,050 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 24, 1989; 227 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 792,000 lb
- Seats: 293
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EHAM Amsterdam OF at 7:37 am
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from TKA, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 231 |
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.