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Internal 'Failure' Blamed for Nose Cone Dent In Passenger Jet

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By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 8, 2008

TAMPA - A collision with a bird or a lightning strike did not cause the dent in the nose of a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 that landed safely Sunday in Tampa, the Federal Aviation Administration said today.

Investigators "believe the damage came from an internal structural failure," administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. "There was no evidence of an external strike."

The FAA has not yet determined exactly what the internal failure was, Bergen said.

Northwest Flight 478, which had 182 passengers, was descending into Tampa International Airport at an altitude of 18,000 feet when the flight crew heard a "bang" and then found the radar inoperative, Bergen said.

After the plane landed, controllers in the air traffic control tower noticed the large dent in the nose, which houses radar equipment.

Flight 478 was on a nonstop flight Sunday from Detroit to Tampa.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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