Synopsis
On Sunday, August 10, 2014, at 13:18 UTC, Ten Airways Flight OTJ874 departed from runway 08 at Ben Gurion Airport (LLBG) en route to Corfu, Greece (LGKR). The aircraft, an MD83 registered as YR-OTY, was crewed by two pilots and four cabin crew, carrying 169 passengers. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing southeast of the NIREL waypoint at 6,000 feet QNH, the crew observed a rapid increase in the Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) of engine 1 (left) on the Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS). The EGT peaked at 800 degrees Celsius. Additionally, a loud noise was heard in the tail section accompanied by strong cabin vibrations.
History of the Flight
The captain, serving as pilot flying, responded immediately by setting the left engine to idle for several seconds and then shutting off fuel flow, effectively stopping the engine. The EGT dropped and no fire warnings were triggered. At 13:22:50, the first officer (pilot monitoring) reported to Ben Gurion Approach ATC: "Ben Gurion Departure OTJ874 We have one engine failure." ATC misinterpreted the report as a two-engine failure and declared "Emergency State 3" (equivalent to "Full Emergency") in the airport, later downgraded to "Emergency State 2". The ATC began vectoring other aircraft in the vicinity, including canceling the approach of an El Al flight (ELY358) that was on final for runway 21, approximately 7-8 miles from the threshold.
The crew initially requested vectors for an ILS approach to runway 08. The ATC, believing an immediate landing was needed, proposed runway 21, but eventually the crew accepted an ILS approach to runway 26, the longest runway at the airport. Following radar vectoring, the aircraft intercepted the ILS and landed safely at 13:35. The aircraft stopped west of Kilo junction and was escorted by a Follow Me vehicle.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The MD83 (YR-OTY) was manufactured on 18 November 1991 and operated by Ten Airways of Romania. The flight crew had experience flying to Ben Gurion Airport and demonstrated knowledge of single-engine operational procedures. The investigation team interviewed the crew shortly after the incident and found that they performed according to operational requirements. The investigation focused on ATC actions and airport emergency procedures.
Weather Conditions
At the time of the incident, weather conditions were: few clouds at 3,500 feet, visibility greater than 10 kilometers, wind 290/11 knots, temperature 31°C, dew point 21°C.