Boeing 747-136 incident near Jamaica, New York, June 18, 1996
On June 18, 1996 at about 1:30 am local time, a Boeing 747-136, registered N606FF, suffered minor damage in an incident near Jamaica, New York (Jfk International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 414 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the constant speed drive (CSD) to disconnect from the generator. Contributing to the cause was the failure of the FAA approved overhaul facility to follow the manufacturer's overhaul manual.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1996 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · Jfk International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 414 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-136 · all 747-136s on the register
- Registration
- N606FF · no longer on the register · serial 20273
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots stated that at flight level 350, just before their descent to JFK, the No. 2 engine generator warning light and CSD low oil pressure light illuminated. Attempts to disconnect the CSD were unsuccessful, and the No. 2 engine was shut down. Following the shutdown, the No. 2 engine fire warning sounded, and the flightcrew discharged both No. 2 engine fire bottles; however, the fire continued. After declaring an emergency and landing at JFK, firefighters noted that the gearbox was glowing red, and they used extinguishing agent. Examination of the engine and accessory gearbox components revealed that the CSD failed to disconnect, because it had not been overhauled in accordance with the manufacturers overhaul manual.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,556 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 14, 1996; 205 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 734,000 lb
- Seats: 514
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-AH (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 8:44 pm
- Destination: JFK NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31L, 14,572 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 17 | |||
| Passengers | 397 |
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.