Taiwanese investigators have confirmed that a Boeing 747-8F sustained damage to its outboard right-hand engine during a pod-strike while landing at Taipei’s Taoyuan airport.
The UPS aircraft had been arriving from Hong Kong, as flight 5X61, in darkness on 13 August.
It conducted three approaches to runway 05L in gusting crosswinds. Meteorological data from the airport indicates winds from 100° at 23kt gusting to 36kt.
Taiwan had been subject to the storm effects of typhoon Podul at the time.
The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board states that the aircraft’s outer right GE Aerospace GEnx-2B engine, damaging the powerplant as well as “multiple areas” of the right wing and fuselage.
None of the three crew members on board was injured.
The safety board identifies the aircraft as N613UP, which was originally delivered to UPS in 2018.
“[We have] determined that this event constitutes a major aviation occurrence,” it adds. “An official investigation has been initiated, and the investigation team will continue to gather relevant evidence.”
