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Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 was an American domestic flight from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, on June 8, 1983.[1] Shortly after takeoff, the Lockheed L-188 Electra of Reeve Aleutian Airways was travelling over the Pacific Ocean, when one of the propellers broke away from its engine and struck the fuselage, damaging the flight controls. The pilots were able to make an emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport; none of the 15 passengers and crew on board were injured in the incident.

Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8

Lockheed L-188C N1968R, the aircraft involved
Incident
Date	June 8, 1983
Summary	Propeller separation leading to rapid decompression, cause undetermined
Site	Pacific Ocean near Cold Bay Airport, Cold Bay, Alaska, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-188 Electra
Operator	Reeve Aleutian Airways
IATA flight No.	RV8
ICAO flight No.	RVV8
Call sign	REEVE 8
Registration	N1968R
Flight origin	Cold Bay Airport, Cold Bay, Alaska
Destination	Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, SeaTac, Washington
Occupants	15
Passengers	10
Crew	5
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Survivors	15

Aircraft

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Lockheed L-188C Electra, powered by four turboprop engines, with manufacturer's serial number 2007 and registration N1968R. It had been delivered to Qantas in 1959. In 1968, after service with other airlines, including Air New Zealand and the California Airmotive Corporation, the aircraft was sold to Reeve Aleutian.[2] It had flown approximately 33,000 hours in service at the time the accident happened.[3]

Flight

Just after takeoff from Cold Bay Airport, on the Alaska Peninsula for a flight across the northern Pacific Ocean to Seattle, Washington, with 10 passengers, the crew noted an unusual vibration in the aircraft, but was unable to isolate the source. As the aircraft climbed from FL190 (around 19,000 feet (5,800 m)) to FL250 (25,000 feet (7,600 m)), the flight engineer left the cockpit to visually check the engines from the passenger cabin, but saw nothing amiss. The flight attendant went into the cockpit to discuss the vibration, which suddenly increased in intensity as she went back into the cabin. She looked out the window and saw the propeller on the No. 4 engine (the outboard engine on the right wing) detach itself and fly spinning under the fuselage. The propeller tore a gash 8 feet (2.4 m) long in the aircraft's belly, depressurizing the cabin and jamming the flight and engine controls.[4][5] The pilots managed to gain some control of the aircraft by using the autopilot and diverted the aircraft to Anchorage. With the engine throttle controls jammed at cruise power, on approach to land the crew was able to make the aircraft descend and climb after shutting down No. 2 (the left inboard) engine in combination with lowering and raising the landing gear.[4][6]

External video
Landing footage on YouTube

The Electra landed safely at Anchorage International Airport, in spite of the loss of almost all flight controls. The crew had to shut down all engines once the aircraft was on the ground to help bring it to a stop; one tire blew out and the emergency brakes caught fire.[5] Nobody was hurt when the propeller hit the fuselage or during the emergency landing, during which the plane veered off the runway and landed in a ditch. The captain, 54-year-old James Gibson, with 5,700 hours' experience flying Electras, was honored for the successful landing by a meeting with President Ronald Reagan in the White House.[3][7] The Air Line Pilots Association also honored Captain Gibson, 39-year-old First Officer Gary Lintner, and 45-year-old Flight Engineer Gerald "Moose" Laurin later in 1983 with its Superior Airmanship Award.[8]

The propeller fell into the Pacific Ocean and was never recovered for examination. The reason for its separation is unknown.[4]

Aftermath

Following the accident, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.[9] N1968R was unregistered in 2001 and was exported to Canada as C-GHZI, where it was used as a firefighting craft. It has continued in this role, as of August 2020, operating as Air Spray 484, dropping retardant on wildfires in Northern California. It returned to its base in Alberta, Canada, on August 28, 2020. Still as C-GHZI, the L-188 was airworthy and in service in June 2022.[10]

The airline continued flight operations after the accident, but began to succumb to financial issues in the early 1990s. Reeve Aleutian Airways ceased operations on December 5, 2000.[11]

Dramatization

The events of Flight 8 were featured in season 12 of the TV series Mayday, in an episode named "Fight for Control".[12]

References

External links

• Video of emergency landing

На других языках

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[de] Reeve-Aleutian-Airways-Flug 8

Reeve-Aleutian-Airways-Flug 8 war ein Inlandsflug der Reeve Aleutian Airways, welcher am 8. Juni 1983 von Cold Bay, Alaska nach Seattle, Washington führen sollte. Die dabei eingesetzte Lockheed L-188 Electra wurde kurz nach dem Start stark beschädigt, nachdem einer der Propeller von der Tragfläche des Flugzeugs abbrach und in den Rumpf der Maschine schlug. Trotz der erschwerten Flugbedingungen gelang der Besatzung eine Notlandung auf dem Flughafen von Anchorage. Keine der 15 Personen an Bord wurden verletzt.

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- [en] Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8

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[fr] Vol Reeve Aleutian Airways 8

Le 8 juin 1983, un Lockheed L-188 Electra de Reeve Aleutian Airways effectuant le vol Reeve Aleutian Airways 8 reliant Cold Bay, en Alaska à Seattle, dans l'État de Washington, survolait l'océan Pacifique lorsqu'une hélice s'est brusquement détachée de son moteur et a heurté le fuselage, endommageant les commandes de vol et des moteurs. Les pilotes ont réussi à effectuer un atterrissage d'urgence à l'aéroport international d'Anchorage. Aucun des quinze passagers et membres d'équipage à bord n'a été blessé dans l'incident.

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[it] Volo Reeve Aleutian Airways 8

Il volo Reeve Aleutian Airways 8 era un volo passeggeri di linea statunitense da Cold Bay, in Alaska, a Seattle, Washington. L'8 giugno 1983, un Lockheed L-188 Electra operante il volo stava viaggiando sopra l'Oceano Pacifico quando una delle eliche si staccò dal motore e colpì la fusoliera, danneggiando i controlli di volo. I piloti furono in grado di effettuare con successo un atterraggio di emergenza all'aeroporto internazionale di Anchorage; nessuno dei quindici passeggeri e membri dell'equipaggio a bordo rimase ferito nell'incidente.[1]

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[ru] Аварийная посадка L-188 в Анкоридже

Аварийная посадка L-188 в Анкоридже — авиационная авария, произошедшая 8 июня 1983 года. Авиалайнер Lockheed L-188C Electra авиакомпании Reeve Aleutian Airways (RAA) выполнял рейс RVV 008 по маршруту Колд-Бей—Сиэтл, но через несколько минут после взлёта потерял винт двигателя №4 (правый крайний), который, оторвавшись, вспорол лопастями днище самолёта рядом с крыльями. Экипаж, чудом удержав самолёт в воздухе, смог благополучно посадить его в Анкоридже. Никто из находившихся на его борту 15 человек (5 членов экипажа и 10 пассажиров) не погиб и не пострадал.

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