2025-07 · NASA ASRS report 2264630
B747-400 flight crew reported landing safely after shutting down the #2 engine in flight because of low oil pressure.
I was PF. We departed ZZZZ at near max gross weight and were climbing out thru about FL200 when the oil systems indications appeared on the lower EICAS showing the oil quantity for engine 2 rapidly dropping. Thinking that we were going to have to shut down the engine shortly we requested and were cleared to level off at FL230. As we leveled off the oil quantity stopped decreasing at 1 then slowly began increasing back up to 8. There was no change in oil pressure or oil temperature and with the oil quantity having increased back to 8 we concluded that an indication error was more likely than actual oil loss. We decided to continue our climb to planned cruise altitude. We requested and were cleared to climb to FL310. After level off we contacted Dispatch via ACARS to advise them of our situation. Our Dispatch told us he would advise maintenance. Approximately an hour later oil systems indications appeared on the lower EICAS again showing the oil quantity decreasing slowly. Just as before; there was no change in oil pressure or oil temperature. We made a call to Dispatch to discuss the problem; they brought maintenance in on the call. We all agreed that there was no reason not to continue the flight as planned. Maintenance agreed that it was probably an indication error as well.About 2 hours into the flight oil quantity had decreased to 0. There was still no change to oil pressure or oil temperature. We let Dispatch know via ACARS.About 3 hours into the flight I noticed that oil pressure had decreased to high 170-160 PSI. There was no change to oil temperature. We continued to monitor the indications. About 4 hours in the oil pressure started to drop more rapidly to about 100 PSI. We advised Dispatch via ACARS. Maintenance was advised and we received an ACARS recommending that we bring engine 2 to idle. We brought engine 2 to idle and the result was oil pressure dropping below redline and a ENG 2 OIL PRESS advisory. We brought the thrust back up and the oil pressure came back up and the advisory message went away. We called dispatch. Dispatch and maintenance requested we continue to ZZZ if able. Dispatch sent us a reanalysis for our expected 3-engine cruise at FL290 as well as a redispatch for our expected 3-engine condition. We decided that everything looked fine to continue.The oil pressure continued to fall until about 6 hours into the flight when they reached just at or above redline; where it remained for the rest of the flight bouncing just under to just above redline with the ENG 2 OIL PRESS advisory blinking on and off. We planned on shutting down the engine when the ENG 2 OIL PRESS advisory stayed on but for about 3 hrs the advisory blinked on and off while the engine managed to keep the oil pressure just at the redline. About 9 hours into the flight; at top of descent; thrust decreased and the oil pressure dropped to 63 PSI and the ENG 2 OIL PRESS advisory stayed on. We immediately shut down the engine according to the QRH. We advised Dispatch of the shutdown via ACARS; they asked for oil temperature and pressure at shutdown. We responded telling them 63 PSI and 112 C. We then advised ATC of our 3-engine condition but that we did not require special handling. I then accomplished a otherwise normal landing and taxi in at ZZZ.
I was PM. The airplane had completed a check in ZZZZ and nothing looked amiss in the logbook. We departed ZZZZ near max gross weight and were climbing through approximately FL200 when oil system indications appeared on the lower EICAS showing the oil quantity for the Number 2 engine dropping rapidly. Fearing the engine would have to be shutdown; we requested a level off at 230 rather than continuing climb to our planned altitude of 310. As we leveled the oil quantity stopped decreasing at 1 qt then slowly began increasing again; stabilizing at 8. There was no change in oil temperature or pressure and; especially with the oil quantity coming back up; an indication problem seemed more likely than an actual oil loss. We continued our climb to FL310 before contacting Dispatch by ACARS to let them know about the problem. Our dispatcher said he'd pass the message to Maintenance. I don't quite remember when we made a call to Dispatch to discuss the problem; but it wasn't much later; at about an hour into the flight; and I think it was because the oil quantity started decreasing again; this time much more slowly. Dispatch brought Maintenance on the line; and we all concurred that there was no reason not to continue the flight as planned. Maintenance agreed that it was probably an indication issue as well. At about two hours into the flight; we let dispatch know that the oil quantity had decreased to zero and stayed there. In the meantime; we monitored oil temperature and pressure. It turned out the oil quantity indication was correct. I had never experienced an oil problem in a large jet and naively thought that if we really had lost all the oil; we would have seen a rapid rise in indicated temperature followed by a loss of pressure; however; the temperature remained more or less constant and similar to the other engines for the entire flight and the pressure loss was so slow that it took us a while to decide it wasn't just our imaginations making it seem that it was falling. Since it is impossible in aviation to only have one problem to deal with at a time; we started getting concerned about the time the redispatch window opened at about 4 hours; ten minutes into the flight. We dealt with the redispatch; which took a little more time than usual due to some glitch causing us not to get the first redispatch message. Once we accepted the redispatch we considered our situation with the Number 2 engine. The pressure had; by that time; started falling relatively rapidly. We let Dispatch know by ACARS; stating that the pressure was still above redline and reading about 95-100 PSI. The other engines were reading pressure from 192-220 PSI. Maintenance was advised; and we received an ACARS message recommending that we bring Number 2 to idle. We did that; but the result was oil pressure dropping below redline with an 'ENG 2 OIL PRESS' advisory. We brought the throttle back up; the advisory went away; and pressure came back up. We called Dispatch.Upon consultation; Dispatch and Maintenance requested that we continue to ZZZ if able. Dispatch sent us a reanalysis for our expected 3-engine cruise altitude of FL290 as well as a new redispatch for the 3-engine condition in case we needed it. We concluded that everything looked fine for us to continue to ZZZ even if we had to shut Number 2 down. This was a little over five hours into the flight.The oil pressure indications continued to fall until about six hours into the flight when they reached just at or above redline; where they remained; dancing up and down mostly in the low to mid 70s PSI until descent. We planned to shutdown the engine when the 'ENG 2 OIL PRESS' advisory came on and stayed on; but for three hours; the advisory would come and go briefly as the engine somehow managed to keep the oil pressure barely acceptable. Finally; over nine hours into the flight; when the throttles came back for descent; the oil pressure dropped and the EICAS message came on asexpected. We immediately shut the engine down in accordance with the QRH and advised Dispatch. Maintenance requested the temperature and pressure at shutdown and we told them 112 deg C and 63 PSI; which were the last readings we'd seen. We advised ATC of our engine-out condition but told them we did not need any special handling.The PF made an uneventful landing and taxi-in at ZZZ.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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