Boeing 747-200 incident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 25, 1993
On September 25, 1993 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Boeing 747-200, registered N629US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE TO THE COMPRESSOR FORWARD FAN ASSEMBLY AS A RESULT OF THE INGESTION OF A BIRD.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1993 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-200 · all 747-200s on the register
- Registration
- N629US · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A 28 OUNCE DUCK WAS INGESTED INTO A JT9 TURBOFAN ENGINE OF A B747 ON TAKEOFF, IMPACTING AND BREAKING THE 10 PLY FIBERGLASS FAN SPINNER. DOWNSTREAM ENGINE DESTRUCTION FOLLOWED. ENGINE MANUFACTURE AND FAA WAS AWARE OF A NUMBER OF PREVIOUS BIRD-STRIKE FAILURES WITH THIS SPINNER. NEW AND STRONGER 20 PLY SPINNERS ARE BEING PHASED IN; HOWEVER, THIN SPINNERS ARE STILL IN USE ON JT9 ENGINES IN COMMERCIAL SERVICE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 24, 1993; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750,000 lb
- Seats: 286
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9-D7F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC
The flight
- Destination: NRT Tokyo, Japan
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 10,496 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:45 am
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.
Other NTSB records under N629US the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.