Mishap That Pulled Passengers From Jet Blamed on Cargo Door

An accident that pulled nine United Airlines passengers out of a Boeing jumbo jet over the Pacific Ocean resulted from failures by the airline, manufacturer and FAA to correct problems in cargo doors on 747 airliners, federal investigators said Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board voted 3 to 0 to accept the results of a more than 13-month investigation despite the fact a key piece of evidence in the Feb. 24, 1989, incident remains three miles under water: Flight 811’s cargo door.

The NTSB said United failed to properly inspect the door after its electrical system failed in December, 1988, and mechanics had to operate it manually. The door had been operated electrically since then, however.

Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration were cited for failing to order timely corrective measures after another cargo door partially popped open on a 1987 Pan American jet flying from London to New York. That plane returned safely to London.

On Flight 811, the door ripped off at 22,000 feet. A piece of the fuselage was ripped off and the passengers and their seats were sucked out through the hole in the plane.

The plane, en route to New Zealand, returned to Honolulu. Five other passengers were seriously hurt and 33 had minor injuries. The plane carried a crew of 18 and 337 passengers.

United spokesman Robert Dowdy said the airline had complied with all FAA requirements except in one instance. That occurred after six words mandating an inspection were left out of an FAA regulation when it was copied into the company’s system, he said.

Dowdy said that despite the oversight, the door had undergone three inspections since the December, 1988, problem was corrected.

“We think the board has done a good job with the evidence and data available,” Dowdy said, adding that a better investigation and probable cause could be determined if the door is recovered.

Boeing had recommended that the board conclude that probable cause of the incident could not be determined.

In Seattle, Boeing spokesman Jack Gamble said the company had no comment on the NTSB finding “except to say we feel, No. 1, those cargo doors are safe.”

“There were subsequent changes made as a result of the accident, changes and inspection processes. All of the necessary actions have been taken to ensure integrity of that door’s operation in flight,” Gamble said.

The board said the current cargo door system on 747s can indicate to the pilot that the door is locked when it is not. That’s expected to be changed with an imminent FAA order that would require detectors on the locks, said Ron Schleed, investigator in charge for the accident.

Schleed said efforts to locate and recover the cargo door from the ocean would continue. He said a Navy vessel and sophisticated probe device would be available in June to conduct a search that would be limited to about two weeks.