On August 9, 1978, Olympic Airways Flight 411, a Boeing 747, was departing from Hellenikon Airport in Greece bound for JFK International Airport in New York. During takeoff, the inboard engine on the right-hand side (Engine 3) suddenly blew up, causing a loud bang and severe damage. Despite this catastrophic failure, Captain Syphis Megadis, an ex-combat pilot, managed to keep the plane airborne. The crew faced numerous challenges, including reduced power from Engine 2, which had undergone maintenance and was producing only 94% of its normal power. The flight engineer also accidentally turned off the alcohol enrichment valve, which further complicated the situation.
Captain Megadis made a series of quick decisions, including retracting the landing gear early, which went against Boeing's policy. This move, combined with the ground effect and a favorable wind, allowed the plane to gain enough speed to stay aloft. The crew then successfully optimized the remaining engines, and the plane began to climb. Captain Megadis banked the plane away from a mountain, and they eventually landed safely back at Hellenikon International Airport without a single injury.
The incident was attributed to the flight engineer turning off the water injection system for Engine 3, which led to overheating and the subsequent explosion. The story highlights the exceptional skill and quick thinking of Captain Megadis, who saved the lives of all 418 people on board.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. On August 9, 1978, Olympic Airways Flight 411, a Boeing 747, was preparing to depart from Hellinikon Airport in Greece.
2. The plane had 398 passengers and 20 crew members on board, totaling 418 people.
3. The plane was headed to JFK International Airport in New York.
4. The captain of the plane was Syphis Megadis, and the first officer was Costas Fucardos.
5. The plane was fueled with about 150 tons of fuel for the flight.
6. At 2 pm, the plane started its roll down the runway and picked up speed.
7. The plane reached V1 speed, the speed at which they could no longer safely reject the takeoff.
8. As the captain lifted the nose of the plane into the air, a loud bang rocked the 747.
9. The captain did not know what had happened, but they were going too fast to stop on the remaining runway.
10. A cabin crew member, Lucia Siachu, received an intercom message from a colleague at the back stating that Engine Number Three had blown up.
11. The controllers in the tower watched in horror as the plane struggled to gain altitude.
12. The shattered engine peppered the runway with parts.
13. The captain tried to coax every ounce of performance from the stricken plane.
14. Engine Number Two had undergone maintenance and was only producing 94% of power.
15. The captain asked the flight engineer to turn on the alcohol enrichment valve, but the engineer turned it off instead.
16. Despite this, the plane took off.
17. Captain Megadis immediately commanded a retraction of the landing gear, which was against Boeing's policy for this situation.
18. The plane cleared the 200-foot-tall Panos Hill by nine feet.
19. The captain decided to trade about 50 feet of altitude for about 6 knots of airspeed.
20. Flight Engineer Trebos successfully managed to optimize the three remaining engines.
21. A southwest sea breeze began to blow, bringing up the speed of the plane.
22. The ground beneath them was relatively cooler, and the air was colder, giving the plane more lift.
23. The plane's airspeed began to creep up, and so did its altitude.
24. The captain knew they wouldn't have enough airspeed to clear the mountain, but they had just enough to bank away without stalling.
25. The captain turned the plane out to sea and waited as the airspeed picked up.
26. The plane climbed slowly, and when it hit 300 feet, the captain decided to retract the flaps a bit.
27. The captain climbed to 1,500 feet and started dumping fuel to bring down their weight.
28. With the plane much lighter, the 747 was able to climb safely and make its way back to Hellinikon International Airport.
29. Against all odds, Flight 411 landed back without a single injury.
30. The plane's data recorders showed that the captain had managed to keep the plane in the air despite slowing down to 158 knots at some points.
31. The captain's feat of flying was so unbelievable that he kept a copy of the flight data recorder on his person because people did not believe him when he told them what he had done.