Description

On 29 March 2018, a Boeing 787-9 (4X-EDB) being operated by El Al on a scheduled international passenger flight from Tel Aviv to Newark as LY 027 which was a line check for one of the First Officers on board completed what was believed by the augmented crew to have been a normal night VMC takeoff from the 4042 metre-long runway 26. However, when reviewing cruise performance, the cruise altitude in the FMC was about 4000 feet higher than expected and it was discovered that the Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW) entered prior to departure had been much lower than the actual ZFW. The data input error was corrected and the flight was completed without further event, although the occurrence was immediately communicated to the Operator. There was no damage to the aircraft and its 300 occupants were unaffected.

Investigation

A Serious Incident Investigation was carried out by the Israeli Aviation Accidents and Investigation Office (AIAI) of the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety in accordance with the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. Data were downloaded from the EAFR after completion of the flight but relevant recorded voice data had been overwritten during the flight. It was noted that the airline had been operating the 787 in commercial service for a little over 6 months when the event under investigation occurred and had carried out a comprehensive risk mitigation exercise prior to the introduction to service. It was also noted that the 787 fleet is operated separately from the airline’s 777 fleet.