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Douglas DC-8-61 accident report

Thursday 28 December 1978 United Airlines DC-8-61 N8082U c/n 45972

Flight UA173 from Denver (DEN) to Portland (PDX), USA with 8 crew and 181 passengers. Took of from Denver with 21183 kg fuel. Upon approach in the dark to RW28 at Portland there was a landing gear malfunction.

First flight 1968, 33114 airframe hrs, 4 x JT3D-3B

Cause : fuel exhaustion resulted from pre-occupation with landing gear malfunction.

10 people died in the crash and 23 injured.

Location : in a wooded suburb, 11km ESE from Portland airport (PDX) , from the accident report : +-25m 45°31’21.25”N 122°29’58.29”W . The wreckage path was about 1,554 ft long and about 130 ft wide

Tuesday 9 February 1982 Japan Air Lines DC-8-61 JA8061 c/n 45889

Flight JL350 from Fukuoka (FUK) to Tokyo-Haneda apt. (HND), Japan with 8 crew and 166 passengers. It made an ILS approach to RW 33R at Haneda but descended to low and ditched into Tokyo Bay, 510m short of the RW. Cause : captain suffered from mental disorder. First flight : 1967 Airframe hrs : 36955 engines : JT3D-3B. 24 people died in the crash. location : +- 50m 35°32’09”N 139°48’28”E

Thursday 11 July 1991 Nationair DC-8-61 C-GMXQ c/n 45982 operated by Nigeria Airways for a hajj pilgrim flight.

Flight WT2120 from Jeddah (JED), Saudi Arabia to Sokoto airport (SKO), Nigeria with 14 crew and 247 passengers. A tyre blew up at TO from RW34L witch resulted in an overheated landing gear which caused a fire when it was retracted. The crew tried to return to Jeddah airport but the fire went out of control and then the aircraft crashed 2875m short of the RW 34C.

First flight : 1968 Airframe hrs : 49318 cycles : 30173 engines : JT3D-3B All people on board died in the crash. location : 2.8km S of JED apt. +-100m 21°38’14”N 39°10’23”E

V1 45 secs after brake-release, rotation at 51 secs.