Open door cited in 747-400 freighter electrical failure out of Heathrow
A Boeing 747-400 freighter lost electrical systems after departing London Heathrow in February 2024, prompting a MAYDAY call and a diversion to Amsterdam Schiphol.
On February 8, 2024, a Boeing 747-400 freighter took off from London Heathrow bound for Hong Kong and began losing electrical systems almost immediately. AC buses 1 and 4 failed during the takeoff roll and climb, cutting pitot tube heating across the aircraft.
A pressurisation problem forced the crew to descend into icing conditions. The pitot tubes froze, the airspeed indicators stopped working, and the autopilot put the aircraft into a nose-down dive. The source says the descent reached 7.6 degrees nose-down at 6,240 feet per minute.
The tubes thawed and the crew regained control. They declared a MAYDAY and diverted to Amsterdam Schiphol. According to the source, an open door at Heathrow played a part in the sequence, and the event led to changes in maintenance rules covering 747-400 freighters.
London → Hong Kong
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Sources
- simpleflying.comHow 1 Open Door At London Heathrow Just Rewrote Maintenance Rules For Every Boeing 747-400 Freighter