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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D9PlMdQwDc
You've heard blurbs about it, but didn't know if it was folklore or true.
Here's the proof.
Big airplane, little runway, 12/13/69. Film owned by Boeing, narrated by Captain Paul Havis.
I was in the landing pattern behind this 747 flying a Cessna 182 with failed radio. Had called Renton Tower ahead of time by phone from the old Bellevue airport. At Mercer Island (north end?) as arranged I flashed landing lights and and got light gun clearance to proceed with no other traffic - except the 747. The view was incredible, I probably watched it unfold a few seconds longer than was appropriate, when I turned to look at the tower: I really expected it to run off the runway as it veered left. Red Red Red: Go away command. So I did. At the time I did not realize that there were probably only 3 flying 747 aircraft.
I was an aeronautical engineer working for Boeing at Renton when this happened.
This happened the day after Pan Am took delivery of its first 747 (N733PA on Friday, 12/12/69), and I was at Renton on the Saturday (12/13/69) when this incident happened. We knew they were going to fly four of the test-flight 747's to Renton to get them refitted for delivery to Pan Am and TWA and we went out to watch them bring in the first one.
I was standing along the west side of the runway, camera in hand, when this happened.
I was looking through the viewfinder and focusing when parts starting flying all around.
I thought it was going to swerve towards me, and I was too close to get away.
Ralph Cokely did a great job keeping it under control and on the runway. We did joke about how they were going to take the damage out of his salary and I imagine he felt he had to leave for Lockheed.
I have heard all kinds of stories about what caused this incident. I think it was just being the first guy to try to get that big airplane onto that short runway, and being a little low.
The north end of the runway at Renton pretty much ends where Lake Washington begins and there was a berm right there.
In his memoir 747, Joe Sutter provides several relevant details about this flight (pp. 194-197):*
The ship involved was RA003. (Sutter does not mention that, after repairs, it went to Pan Am as N732PA "Clipper Ocean Telegraph.")*
It was going to Renton to have test equipment removed and an airline interior installed. The Everett plant was too busy at the time to accommodate all the relevant work and some of it had been shifted to Renton.*
The original pilot intended for this flight was out of town on another job that day and was replaced by Ralph Cokely.*
Cokely was very nervous about landing the 747 at Renton.
To ease his mind, one of Sutter's engineers did an impromptu presentation on the 747's landing performance to show that, in its test configuration, RA003 would have no problems with this landing.
Cokely didn't seem to believe it.*
Sutter flew along in the jump seat at the suggestion of one of his team, to watch the short-field landing.* During the landing, Sutter noticed that Cokely remained nervous and was obsessed with conserving as much runway as possible.*
Afterwards, Cokely left Boeing for Lockheed, where he tested the L-1011. It is not said if he was fired or quit.
Sutter pointed out that the pilot was skeptical that the 747 could land on the short Renton runway, even after the engineers assured him that it was possible.
He attempted to land so short that the landing gear caught the seawall at the end of the runway.
Also he said that the pilot put the engines into reverse,
even as they were scraping on the ground, probably not a good idea. That is why the engines are surging.