JALways Flight 58 engine explosion accident

The JALways Flight 58 engine explosion accident (JALways 58-bin enjin bakuhatsu jiko) is an aviation accident that occurred at Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, on 12 August 2005 (Heisei 17).

Cause of the accident

The cause of the engine shutdown was that one turbine blade broke and took other turbine blades with it. The cause of the breakage is presumed to be fatigue cracking due to erosion of the blade surface. As a small crack grew under centrifugal force and the heat of the engine, a leak developed in the cooling air circulating inside; the cooling air did not circulate and heat built up on the blade surface, so the blade failed. This triggered blade fragments to destroy other turbine blades as well.

Regarding the engine that shut down, in June 2005 (Heisei 17) the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism had instructed each airline to take measures such as replacing parts, as there was a risk of turbine failure. In response to this instruction, Japan Airlines, having confirmed in an internal investigation in March 2002 (Heisei 14) that part of the deteriorated turbine blades had been replaced, replied to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism that it would carry out the parts replacement by 2010 (Heisei 22), and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism accepted this.

After this accident, the JAL Group retired all the DC-10s it owned in October 2005, and for the Boeing 747, which used almost the same type of engine, it took the improvement measure of shortening the engine inspection interval from 2500 hours to 1000 hours.