Boeing B-777 incident near Houston, Texas, August 11, 2004
On August 11, 2004 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Boeing B-777, registered GVIID, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston Intercontinental airport). It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of a high pressure turbine blade which damaged an oil seal and allowed smoke to enter the cabin. Contributing to the blade failure was the mis-labeling of the blade's part number by the manufacturer, which allowed the blade to remain in service far in excess of it's life limit.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2004 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston Intercontinental · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-777
- Registration
- GVIID · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the throttles were advanced for takeoff, the flightcrew heard a noise and felt a vibration from the left side of the airplane. As the airplane rotated, the crew received a cockpit warning of LH Eng Vibration - Level 5. During the climb, the crew observed smoke and haze in the cockpit and the cabin crew advised that the cabin was filling with smoke. The flightcrew declared an emergency and made an immediate landing and emergency evacuation. The investigation revealed that a turbine blade in the left engine had failed due to a fatigue crack and the resulting damage caused excessive vibration in the engine. As the engine continued to vibrate, an oil seal failed allowing oil to contaminate the bleed air and create smoke in the cockpit and cabin. The failed blade had been mis-marked with the wrong part number by the manufacturer, which allowed it to remain in service far in excess of it's life limit until the fatigue crack developed.
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: 18,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Seat: rgt
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric GE90-85B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston, TX
- Destination: LHR London
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 18 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 114 |
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.