Boeing 747-446B incident near Everett, Washington, February 15, 1990
On February 15, 1990 at about 1:50 am local time, a Boeing 747-446B, registered UNREG, suffered minor damage in an incident near Everett, Washington (Paine Fld airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A BREAK FROM PRE-EXISTING INTERGRANULAR CRACKS WHICH LED TO A FRACTURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1990 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Everett, Washington · Paine Fld · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-446B · all 747-446Bs on the register
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, AT THE END OF A FLIGHT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE EICAS DISPLAYED A CAUTION MESSAGE OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE AND QUANTITY AND GEAR DOOR. THE PILOT ALSO NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS LISTING TO THE RIGHT. IT WAS LATER FOUND THAT THE RIGHT WING LANDING GEAR, OUTER CYLINDER AFT TRUNNION ARM BROKE. THE PART WAS METALLURGICALLY TESTED AND FOUND THAT THE TRUNNION FRACTURED AS A RESULT OF PRE-EXISTING INTERGRANULAR CRACKS.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,482 hours in all; 228 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 6,091 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 870,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2B1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWH Moses Lake WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 9,010 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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 UNREG 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.