All Nippon Airways Emergency Landing at O'Hare

June 30, 2008

A Japan-bound commercial airliner landed safely at O'Hare International Airport Monday afternoon after one of its engines malfunctioned over the northwest suburbs—but not before it had to dump about 4 percent of its total fuel load over Lake Michigan in order to land.

The right engine on the All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300ER became inoperable from "metal fatigue" as it climbed over Mt. Prospect about 11:30 a.m., said Elizabeth Isham Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Earlier, it was thought the engine "may have ingested some birds," she said. The exact cause was under investigation and may take weeks to determine.

To make the half-million-pound jetliner, which carried 189 passengers, light enough to land safely, the pilot swung over the lake and dumped about 1,450 gallons of jet fuel. Only a miniscule portion of that made it to the water, which officials said remains safe for drinking and swimming. But the move did spark monitoring by Chicago water quality managers and beach officials.




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