Atlas Air Boeing 747 Returns to Seoul Amid Hydraulic Failure & Tire Damage

An Atlas Air Boeing 747-400F cargo aircraft experienced a hydraulic failure and tire damage, forcing it to return to Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) on June 11, 2024. This marked the second incident involving the same aircraft in two days.

The 33-year-old Boeing 747-400F, scheduled to fly from Seoul to Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) in Alaska, encountered hydraulic issues shortly after takeoff. At 10,000 feet, the pilots detected the hydraulic failure and descended to 7,000 feet to dump fuel and reduce the aircraft's weight for a safe landing.

The aircraft landed back at ICN approximately 90 minutes after departure. Upon landing, it was found that three tires on the left landing gear had burst, leaving the aircraft stranded on the runway. The initial problem arose when two tires suffered tread separation during takeoff, which led to a cut in the aircraft's hydraulic system. A third tire was damaged during the landing.

Interestingly, this aircraft was not initially scheduled to be in Seoul. The previous day, on June 10, the aircraft was en route from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to ANC. Due to a delay, it departed late and subsequently diverted to Seoul three hours into the flight. After spending a day on the ground, it attempted the flight to Alaska again, only to return to ICN with the new issues.

Atlas Air’s freighter will undergo thorough inspections to identify and rectify any underlying problems before it returns to service. Simple Flying has reached out to Atlas Air for further comments, and any updates will be included in the follow-up.

This series of incidents highlights the robustness of modern aircraft and the effectiveness of pilot training. Despite technical issues, the aircraft landed safely each time, demonstrating the safety measures and contingencies built into aviation operations.

A week earlier, on June 2, the same aircraft had an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after a tire issue during takeoff from Anchorage to Mexico City. Despite these challenges, the aircraft managed to land safely and continue to its destination after a brief inspection.

These incidents underscore the importance of rigorous maintenance and the high level of skill demonstrated by pilots in managing unexpected situations, ensuring passenger and crew safety at all times.