Date & Time: Sep 17, 1982 at 1430 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-8
Operator:
Registration:
JA8048
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Shanghai - Tokyo
MSN:
46160
YOM:
1971
Flight number:
JL792
Country:
China
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
113
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport at 1357LT on a flight to Tokyo, carrying 113 passengers and a crew of 11. Nine minutes after takeoff, the crew heard a strange noise coming from the lower middle part of the aircraft. This was immediately followed by a hydraulic low level warning, a hydraulic reservoir air low pressure warning, a complete loss of hydraulic system pressure, abnormal flap position indications, and a complete loss of air brake pressure. The crew elected to return to Shanghai for a emergency landing. The DC-8 touched down fast on runway 36, overran and came to rest in a drainage ditch. All 124 occupants were evacuated, 23 of them were injured.
Probable cause:
The explosion of the air brake bottle damaging 13 hydraulic system tubes and 2 emergency air brake system tubes, some of which resulted in the failure of extension of flaps and a loss of normal as well as emergency wheel braking, thus increasing the roll after touchdown distance to a value greater than available runway and stop way length. These factors prevented the captain from stopping the aircraft within the runway and stop way confines.