Boeing 747-400 accident near Jamaica, New York, November 30, 1998
On November 30, 1998 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Boeing 747-400, registered HL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jamaica, New York (John F Kennedy Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The first officer misjudged the clearance between the right wing and the crane. Factors included the subcontractor's unauthorized placement of the crane in the taxiway safety area and insufficient oversight of the subcontractor's operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1998 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · John F Kennedy Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-400 · all 747-400s on the register
- Registration
- HL · no longer on the register · serial 25781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane struck a crane that was next to the taxiway, in a taxiway safety area. The first officer watched the right wing pass over a flatbed truck, several feet outboard the 'number four' engine nacelle. He thought the wing would also clear the crane, which was outboard and past the truck. The airplane continued taxiing, and the right wing struck the crane, causing damage to that wing, and causing the crane to topple over, and eject the occupant. The only conversation between the crewmembers during the 46 seconds prior to the accident, was a 'right side clear' callout by the first officer. The crane had been located in the taxiway safety area by subcontractor personnel, who took it upon themselves to remove safety barriers. There were no supervisory safety personnel at the accident site.
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: 8,700 hours in all; 2,106 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 5,788 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,773 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 25, 1998; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 873,000 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2B1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Asiana Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK
- Destination: JFK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 22,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from JFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.