Investigation Summary
The aircraft, named Olympic Zeus, was departing for New York with 160 tons of fuel, making it nearly takeoff-climb limited. As the aircraft rotated, the No. 3 engine suffered a failure. Approximately nine seconds later, the flight engineer observed the No. 3 'WATER FLOW' warning light extinguish. Misinterpreting this as a sign that the water supply was exhausted, he switched off the water injection pumps for all engines. This action immediately reduced the available thrust from the remaining three engines by approximately 10% at a moment when the aircraft was already struggling to maintain a positive climb gradient. For nearly 93 seconds, the aircraft flew at altitudes as low as 153 feet, clearing obstacles like the Hill of the Nymphs and apartment rooftops in Kallithea. The crew managed to maintain flight by flying just above stall speed, eventually clearing the peak of Mount Aigaleo by a mere 9 feet (3 meters). The recovery was achieved by trading altitude for speed until the crew could safely climb and return to the airport.
Final Conclusions
Boeing's performance analysis concluded that no mechanical malfunction of the airframe or the remaining engines caused the poor performance. The primary cause was the inadvertent shut-off of the water injection pumps by the flight crew, which severely reduced thrust on a takeoff-climb limited aircraft. The investigation also noted a delay of approximately 30 seconds before the crew increased thrust on the remaining engines to go-around levels. Boeing simulations of the event consistently resulted in crashes, highlighting the exceptional airmanship required to recover the aircraft.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Sifis Migadis (Pilot in Command)
Captain
Konstantinos 'Kostas' Fikardos (Co-pilot)
Flight Engineer
Inadvertently shut off water injection pumps.
Systems & Failure Modes
Water Injection System
A system used on JT9D-7A engines to provide 'wet thrust' by injecting water into the engine, increasing air density and allowing for higher thrust during takeoff.
Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7A
The high-bypass turbofan engines powering the Boeing 747-200, which required water injection to meet performance requirements at high takeoff weights.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was carrying 160 tons of fuel for a nonstop flight to New York.
- 02The lowest recorded airspeed during the 93-second danger period was 158 mph (137 knots), though Boeing simulations suggested the aircraft should have stalled at this speed.
- 03Boeing simulations of the flight conditions consistently resulted in a crash.
- 04The aircraft cleared the peak of Mount Aigaleo by approximately 9 feet (3 meters).
- 05The flight engineer's error was triggered by the 'WATER FLOW' light for the failed engine extinguishing.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Training Curriculum Update
Boeing incorporated the performance analysis of this incident into its flight crew training curriculum to highlight the dangers of losing wet thrust during takeoff-climb limited operations.
Operational Procedure Changes
Olympic Airways revised its cockpit procedures regarding engine failures and the management of water injection systems during the takeoff phase.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikipedia geotag.