Boeing 747-200B incident near Seattle, Washington, September 29, 1984
On September 29, 1984 at about 9:38 pm local time, a Boeing 747-200B, registered N613US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 172 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1984 · about 9:38 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 172 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-200B · all 747-200Bs on the register
- Registration
- N613US · no longer on the register · serial 20358
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMBOUT, PASSING THRU 4000 FT MSL, THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF THE #2 ENGINE. THE CREW REPORTED HEARING AN EXPLOSIVE SOUND FOLLOWED BY A DROP IN FUEL FLOW WITH N1 SPEED DECREASING TO 30% RPM ON THE #2 ENGINE. THE ACFT RETURNED TO SEATTLE FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. THE ENGINE EXHAUST TAIL CONE AND NUMEROUS TURBINE BLADES WERE LOCATED IN A RURAL AREA APRX 11 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARPT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE TURBINE STATOR SUPPORT STRUCTURE HAD WEAKENED BY SULFIDATION DUE TO EXHAUST GAGES ESCAPING THRU AN INSPECTION PORT. FAILURE OF THE PORT ALLOWED CONTACT WITH THE TURBINE BLADES, RESULTING IN BLADE ESCAPED AND SUBSEQUENT IMBALANCE.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,939 hours in all; 2,739 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44,962 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 26, 1984; 689 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 800,000 lb
- Seats: 394
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7FCN (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: SEL Seoul, Korea OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from SEA, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 158 |
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.