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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2013 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · Rafael Hernandez · 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 · no longer on the register · 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
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Design
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Inadequate inspection
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
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.