A B737-400 FLT DIVERTS TO BERMUDA AFTER SHUTTING DOWN #1 ENG DUE TO OIL LOSS. FLT SUFFERS FROM XWINDS AT BDA.

Narrative

DURING CRUISE AT FL290; N OF HOLMA ON AMBER 300; THE #1 ENG LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. OIL QUANTITY WAS DECREASING AND OIL TEMP WAS SLOWLY INCREASING. CHKLIST WAS CALLED FOR AND ACCOMPLISHED. L ENG WAS SHUT DOWN PER CHKLIST PROCS. FLT WAS FILED PHL-SJU. BDA WAS 200 MI E AT TIME OF OCCURRENCE AND DECISION WAS MADE TO DIVERT THERE. WINDS WERE INITIALLY RPTED MARGINAL BUT IN LIMITS. UPON ARR WINDS HAD GOTTEN STRONGER WITH XWIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 30 KTS. RWY 12 WAS INITIALLY USED FOR XWIND CONSIDERATIONS; BUT DUE TO XWIND IN EXCESS OF 30 KTS AND AIRSPD DEVS NOTED DURING THE APCH; GARS WERE INITIATED ON 2 APCHS TO RWY 12. ADDITIONALLY DETERIORATING WX CONDITIONS NW OF THE FIELD DICTATED A SHORT FINAL TURN ON TO REMAIN VFR. WE ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED CLRNC FOR THE ILS TO RWY 30. WX CONDITIONS ON THE APCH PHASE WERE MORE FAVORABLE AND AIRSPD DEVS WERE MINIMAL. AN OVERWT; SINGLE ENG APCH AND LNDG WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH A WT OF 123000 LBS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT WAS A B737-400 WITH CFM56 ENGS. THE POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT A MAIN BEARING IN THE ACCESSORY CASE HAD FAILED; CAUSING THE LOSS OF OIL. THE CASE WAS GOING TO BE CHANGED IN BDA; BUT THEN IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ENG HAD BUT 600 CYCLES LEFT BEFORE OVERHAUL; SO THE ENG WAS REMOVED FOR SHIPMENT TO MAINT. THE COMS TO ZNY WERE ENHANCED; FOR AS SOON AS THE ACFT WAS WITHIN 150-200 MI FROM BDA; A VHF FREQ WAS AVAILABLE DIRECT TO THE CTR CTLR. THE FLT WAS DIVERTED TO BDA BECAUSE THE WINDS ALOFT WERE FROM THE WSW AT 70 KTS AT CRUISE ALT. THE FLT WAS 200 MI FROM BDA AND OVER 500 MI FROM ORF; MAKING THE CHOICE FOR BDA QUITE OBVIOUS. THE RPTED WINDS AT BDA WERE 1 KT UNDER THE AIRLINE'S XWIND LIMITS. THE ACTUAL ON ARR; COUNTING GUSTS; WAS 35 KTS AS THE WIND WAS A DIRECT 90 DEG XWIND. THE CAPT DID NOT KNOW; AND THE OPERATING MANUAL DID NOT STATE; THE MAX DEMONSTRATED XWIND FOR THIS ACFT. IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT IT WAS 45 KTS FOR THE B737-400. THE ACFT WAS 4000 LBS OVER MAX LNDG WT. RWY 12 WAS INITIALLY CHOSEN BECAUSE OF THE XWIND DIRECTION FROM THE R AND THE FACT THAT #1 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN. THE CAPT WANTED THE MAX RUDDER AVAILABILITY THAT RWY 12 WOULD PROVIDE. RULE: BAD ENG INTO XWIND IS BAD. RWY 12 DID NOT WORK OUT BECAUSE THE LCL WX PREVENTED THE CAPT FROM ESTABLISHING A LONG ENOUGH FINAL TO STABILIZE HIS APCH.