United Airlines Flight 811
N4713U after the cargo door tore off in flight, causing explosive decompression and ejecting nine people from the plane | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 24, 1989 |
| Summary | Cargo door failure leading to explosive decompression |
| Site | Pacific Ocean near Honolulu, Hawaii 20°41′24″N 158°40′30″W / 20.690°N 158.675°W |
| Aircraft | |
| N4713U, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 1984 | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-122 |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | UA811 |
| ICAO flight No. | UAL811 |
| Call sign | UNITED 811 |
| Registration | N4713U |
| Flight origin | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| 1st stopover | Honolulu International Airport Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| 2nd stopover | Auckland Airport Auckland, New Zealand |
| Destination | Sydney Airport Sydney, Australia |
| Occupants | 355 |
| Passengers | 337 |
| Crew | 18 |
| Fatalities | 9 |
| Injuries | 38 |
| Survivors | 346 |
United Airlines Flight 811 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, with intermediate stops at Honolulu and Auckland. On February 24, 1989, the Boeing 747-122 serving the flight experienced a cargo-door failure in flight shortly after leaving Honolulu. The resulting explosive decompression blew out several rows of seats, killing nine passengers. The aircraft returned to Honolulu and landed without further incident.