Boeing MD-11 incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, October 21, 1998
On October 21, 1998 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Boeing MD-11, registered N581FE, was involved in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu International 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
A jammed spoiler control pulley system caused by a shop rag left in an area of recent maintenance. Neither the maintenance organization nor the mechanic responsible could be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1998 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing MD-11
- Registration
- N581FE · no longer on the register · serial 48419
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first officer was the flying pilot and detected a right wing heavy condition with roll control difficulties during liftoff. The crew dumped fuel and returned for a landing. Post landing inspection showed that three of the five spoilers on top of the right wing were fully deployed. Mechanics found a general-purpose shop rag lodged in the spoiler control pulley system, jamming it in the deployed position. The pulley area where the mechanics found the rag was an open and unprotected area in the center body landing gear wheel well. The center gear doors are normally closed on the ground; however, maintenance personnel can open the doors to work in this area. The doors open and the center landing gear retracts forward into this area during normal operation. The last maintenance completed in this area was 2 days prior to the incident when a contract fuel systems repair company opened several lines in that area to check for leaks. Mechanics could not find any rags, so a supervisor brought rags from another hangar. The supervisor was positive that he provided diaper style rags rather than shop style rags. His company only used the diaper style rag because it was more absorbent than a regular shop rag. A mechanic for the carrier said they normally used colored general-purpose shop towels. They occasionally used white terrycloth towels. The airplane completed 9 flights through various line stations prior to the mishap. On a walk around inspection, mechanics do not normally open the wheel well doors and look at the spoiler pulley system.
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: 4,097 hours in all; 1,360 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 4,097 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,857 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 17, 1998; 119 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 633,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Federal Express Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: HNL at 7:36 pm
- Destination: Sydney Australi OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26R, 12,357 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from HNL
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 N581FE 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.