Boeing Company, Long Beach Div BOEING MD-11 incident near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, August 31, 2013
On August 31, 2013 at about 1:10 am local time, a 1998 Boeing Company, Long Beach Div BOEING MD-11, registered PHMCW, suffered minor damage in an incident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (Rafael Hernandez airport). It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an insufficiently robust flange attachment hardware design, which failed to contain engine components that were liberated during an LPT mechanical failure, resulting in engine/nacelle uncontainment. A factor in the incident was the lack of a module-level LPT inspection and the lack of an inspection requirement to detect/monitor the LPT S4 for advanced sulfidation attack.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2013 · about 1:10 am local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · Rafael Hernandez · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing Company, Long Beach Div BOEING MD-11 F, built 1998
- Registration
- PHMCW · registered outside the United States · serial 48788
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Four LPT stage 4 (S4) vane clusters weakened by an undetected sulfidation/corrosion attack disengaged at their inner attachment. The disengaged clusters displaced aft and contacted the S4 blades during operation. The contact machined a groove into the blade leading edges near the platforms. High cycle fatigue cracks initiating in the machined area of several blades propagated to overload separation. The blade liberation led to the separation of the remaining S4 blades and extensive downstream LPT blade and vane cluster damage. A large amount of metal debris was released into the gas path, loading the engine casings. The P-flange attachment hardware separated in overload, resulting in engine uncontainment.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Loss of engine power (total) during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Uncontained engine failure during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Part(s) separation from AC during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the engine
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the engine
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Design other cases naming the engine
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Inadequate inspection other cases naming the engine
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 630,499 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4462-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BQN Aguadilla PR
- Destination: STN London
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 1 | data file | Download |
| 3 | Powerplants Group Chairman's Factual Report | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Ad 2012-14-09 | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PW4462-3 8 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rafael Hernandez Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Puerto Rico 282 since 1982 · 33 in the last ten years
- Puerto Rico 492 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ENG13IA036.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.