Northwest Airlines Flight 85 departed on October 9, 2002, from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in the United States for Narita International Airport in Japan. What would otherwise have been a routine international passenger flight turned into hell as Boeing 747-400 had a lower rudder hard over over open waters of the Bering Sea.
The Flight's Unforeseen Ordeal
When cruising over the unfriendly and hostile Bering Sea that lay between Russia and North America, the crew found themselves with an unexpected and serious issue with their life. A lower rudder hardover occurred to the aircraft, where the aircraft rudder deflected to its travel limit without any crew input. The hard and sudden deflection of the rudder compromised the aircraft stability and control.
In the Blink of an Eye: Full Left Lower Rudder
In the second, the Boeing 747-400 experienced a full left lower deflection of the rudder—a flight condition in which the rudder was rotated to its maximum left position. Such a turn would have resulted in loss of control and attitude of the aircraft. In order to reverse such sudden and extreme flight motion, the crew should be able to react quickly enough so that control may be regained and the aircraft maintained on course.
Crew Response: Masterful Maneuvering
Faced by the uncommanded hardover of the lower rudder, the Northwest Airlines Flight 85 crew demonstrated themselves to be equal to their skill, experience, and training in handling high-stress emergencies. During recovery from maximum left rudder deflection, the crew employed full right upper rudder and right aileron. Through this coordination of control inputs, the crew successfully stabilized aircraft attitude and direction in the tempestuous Bering Sea environment.
A. Change of Course: Diverting to Anchorage
As a result of the low rudder hardover event, the flight crew on board determined that was the primary reason for diverting the airplane to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Even though the event itself did not impact passenger and flight crew member injury, the risk the handover event presented prompted deployment of a precautionary landing.
Legacy of Safety: Airworthiness Directive
Upon the accident, the government conducted extensive researches to determine the source of the lower rudder hardover accident. Therefore, an airworthiness directive was created in a bid to reduce the occurrence of similar accidents with the same phenomenon in the future. The directive was intended to offer permanent safety to crew members and passengers traveling aboard Boeing 747 aircraft.
The Northwest Airlines Flight 85 incident serves to be a humble reminder of the necessity to employ extremely experienced and trained flight personnel capable of responding suitably to unforeseen problems faced during flight. It also speaks volumes about the commitment of air professionals to continue to implement better safety procedures and regulations in order to avoid accidents and safeguard individuals who travel by air.
