Tower Air Flight 41

Tower Air Flight 41 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City, to Miami International Airport (MIA) in Florida. On December 20, 1995, the Boeing 747-100 operating the flight veered off the runway during takeoff from JFK. All 468 people on board survived, but 25 people were injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off, making the accident the 25th hull loss of a Boeing 747. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the captain had failed to reject the takeoff in a timely manner.

Accident

The flight crew was given a weather briefing by the airline's dispatchers. At 10:36 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) Flight 41 pushed back from the gate and was subsequently de-iced. At 11:16 the flight began to taxi to runway 4L. The ramp had packed snow and patches of ice. Six minutes later, the captain stopped taxiing in order to clear additional ice by performing an engine run-up. Noting the outside conditions, he told the first officer, "If we start to move let me know."

The captain then started to increase engine thrust, only for the aircraft to start slipping in the process. The captain stopped the procedure and told the crew, "It's an ice rink here." After crossing runway 31L, the captain asked the flight engineer to go into the cabin and visually inspect the wings. The flight engineer left the cockpit at 11:30 and returned one minute later, confirming that the wings were not contaminated with ice.

At 11:32, Flight 41 lined up on runway 4L. The captain attempted the engine runup a second time, again to clear additional ice, this time without any incidents. Four minutes after lining up, at 11:36, Flight 41 was cleared for takeoff. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recorded the following:

Only five seconds after the flight engineer's callout and just before reaching 80 kn (according to the captain in a post accident interview), the aircraft began to veer to the left of the runway centerline. At this time an unidentified crew member said "Watch it. Watch it." The captain responded by applying right rudder input and attempted to steer the aircraft to the right by using the tiller, neither of which worked. At 11:37:37 the captain rejected the takeoff:

The captain pulled the thrust levers back to idle and applied maximum braking, but did not apply the thrust reversers because of the aircraft's low speed and the large amount of runway remaining. The aircraft departed the left side of runway 4L at 11:37:19, skidding across taxiway Kilo and runway 13R/31L, striking three signs in the process. In the cabin, the overhead compartments and side bins both opened and their contents fell out. In the aft galley, two service carts dislodged and rolled down the aisle; one struck a flight attendant's left shoulder, breaking it. Only three flight attendants called "Grab ankles! Stay down!" to the passengers, as required in an emergency. At 11:37:21 the aircraft struck an electrical transformer owned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and came to a stop 4800 ft from the threshold of runway 4L. On impact with the transformer, the number four (outer right) engine separated from the aircraft and the nose landing gear collapsed, damaging the wiring for the public address (PA) and interphone systems.

After the aircraft stopped, the flight engineer told all passengers over the PA system to remain seated, though the announcement was only heard in the forward section of the aircraft. The purser unsuccessfully attempted to call the flight crew on the interphone, and then ran upstairs to the cockpit. The first officer had radioed air traffic control (ATC) of their situation and performed the engine shutdown checklist. The flight crew considered initiating an evacuation, but given the aircraft had remained mostly intact with no signs of fire or any other danger reported and the low wind chill factor outside the captain decided not to do so. Once emergency responders arrived at the aircraft, the purser unsuccessfully attempted to open doors L1 and R1. He and a rescue worker managed to open door L2 and the passengers and crew were deplaned via the air stairs. There were no fatalities, and the flight attendant's broken right shoulder was the only serious injury. One of the passengers on board was rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum.