ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A cargo-carrying Boeing 747 with an electrical malfunction blew out 14 of its 18 tires while landing at an Anchorage, Alaska, airport officials said.
Flying from Miami to Anchorage and then to Asia, the Southern Air Boeing 747-200 experienced "a complete electrical failure" several hours from Anchorage, said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Clint Johnson. "They were flying almost entirely with battery power."
Backup generators were engaged but do not keep the tires of the 300- to 400-ton aircraft from skidding or aid in using reverse thrusters used to slow the plane during landing, airport business manager Trudy Wassel said.
Firefighters hurried to Ted Stevens International Airport as the plane's crew decided to make an emergency landing at 2 a.m. Tuesday, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Except for the tires, there was no incident. Only the flight crew was on board and no one was injured, the newspaper said.
"When this whole event was taking place and the tires were blowing, neighbors reported hearing them (to 911 dispatchers). They definitely could hear it in surrounding neighborhoods," Johnson said, adding the NTSB is investigating the cause of the electrical problem and examining the plane for damage.
