ACCIDENT OF N1032F (46826/109)
December 12th 1975, time: 13:10 EST
NTSB report / statistics
ONA Flight 032 left the gate at 12.56 EST for a ferry flight to Jeddah via Frankfurt. The passengers were all ONA employees.The aircraft taxied to Runway 13R and commenced take-off at 13.10h. Shortly after accelerating through 100kts, but before reaching the V1 speed, a flock of birds were seen to rise from the runway. The aircraft struck many birds and the take-off was rejected. Bird strikes had damaged the No.3 engine's fanblades, causing rotor imbalance. Fan-boster stage blades began rubbing on the epoxy microballoon shroud material; pulverized material then entered into the engine's HPC area, ignited and caused the compressor case to separate. A fire erupted in the right wing and no.3 engine pylon. The aircraft couldn't be stopped on the runway. The pilot-in-command steered the aircraft off the runway onto taxiway Z at a 40kts speed. The main undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft came to rest against the shoulder of the taxiway.The successful evacuation may be partially attributed to the fact that neary all passengers were trained crew members. PROBABLE CAUSE: "The disintegration and subsequent fire in the No.3 engine when it ingested a large number
of seagulls. Following the disintegration of the engine, the aircraft
failed to decelarate effectively because: 1) The No.3 hydraulic
system was inoperative, which caused the loss of the no.2 brake
system and braking torque to be reduced 50 percent; 2) the no.3
engine thrust reversers were inioperative; 3) at least three tyres
disintegrated; 4) the no.3 system spoiler panels on each wing could
not deploy; and 5) the runway surface was wet.The following factors
contributed to the accident: 1) The bird-control program at John F.
Kennedy airport did not effectively control the bird hazard on the
airport; and 2) the FAA and the General Electric Company failed to
consider the effects of rotor imbalance on the abradable epoxy
shroud material when the engine was tested for certification."
Total airframe hrs: 8193 hours
Crew: 0 fatalities / 10 on board
Passengers: 0 fatalities / 129 on board
Total: 0 fatalities / 139 on board
Location: New York-John F. Kennedy IAP, NY (USA)
Phase: Take-off
Nature: Ferry
Flight: New York-John F. Kennedy IAP, NY - Frankfurt-Rhein Main APT (Flightnumber 032)
Source: Aviation Safety Network / NTSB