What happened
The incident occurred during the initial phase of takeoff when the captain applied power and released the brakes. As the aircraft began to move forward, it started to drift toward the right side of the runway. The first officer observed that the number four engine was not spooling up as expected and immediately informed the captain of this anomaly.
In response to the drift and the engine issue, the captain closed the throttles and engaged reverse thrust on both the number one and number two engines. However, this action caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the left. The plane then spun around nearly one and a half times before coming to a stop.
Weather conditions at the time included light rain or mist. The runway centerline had been deiced, and the surface was reported as wet with scattered areas of snow. Despite these conditions, braking action was reported as good prior to the event. Post-incident inspection revealed that the underside of the number three engine cowling was gashed, and a landing light required replacement.
The investigation
Investigation into the mechanical aspects of the incident focused on the performance of the propulsion system during the takeoff roll. Examination confirmed that the number four engine failed to spool up correctly at the onset of the takeoff power application. This failure contributed significantly to the asymmetric thrust that caused the initial rightward drift.
Further inspection identified physical damage resulting from the loss of control. The underside of the number three engine cowling sustained gashes, and a landing light was damaged beyond repair. These findings corroborated the narrative of the aircraft spinning nearly one and a half times on the runway surface.