Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8



Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 was a flight from Cold Bay Airport in Alaska, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington State. The Lockheed L-188 Electra operating the flight lost a propeller in flight and suffered an explosive decompression. The crew made an emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport. All passengers and crew aboard Flight 8 survived.

The Incident
Flight 8, a Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop airliner, took off from Cold Bay Airport on June 8, 1983. There were 15 people in total on board. The #4 engine suddenly lost its propeller, which flew off and gashed the underside of the fuselage, jamming the flight and throttle controls. The remaining engines were stuck at full throttle, and the plane was nearly uncontrollable. The autopilot was still functioning, and the crew used it to stabilize the damaged Lockheed Electra. The pilots tried several times to gain manual control, and finally succeeded in gaining a small amount of control. With the plane traveling over 50 miles per hour faster than normal, Flight 8 attempted to land at Anchorage (AINA). The pilots made one attempt, but aborted and went around for another try. Finally at 12:09, Flight 8 landed successfully at Anchorage. All 5 crew members and 10 passengers survived with minimal injuries.