Yesterday, a KLM Boeing 787 bound for Amsterdam Schiphol had to return to Tokyo Narita due to a cracked windshield.
Information has been released pertinent to this incident, which we will get into in this article.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
KLM Flight KL862 – Tokyo Narita to Amsterdam…
KLM flight KL862 is a routine scheduled flight between Tokyo Narita and Amsterdam.
The aircraft involved in the incident is registered as PH-BHA.
As per data from Planespotters.net, PH-BHA is a 8.7 year old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that was delivered to the airline in December 2015.
Of the 787 aircraft, KLM has 23 of them in their fleet, consisting of:
- 13 787-9s.
- 10 787-10s.
As well as these aircraft, the Dutch carrier has the following aircraft in their mainline fleet:
- 11 A330 Family aircraft.
- 42 Boeing 737 Family aircraft.
- 31 777 Family aircraft.
KLM flight KL862 departed Tokyo Narita at 1138 local time yesterday morning and initially climbed out towards Amsterdam.
As per The Aviation Herald, it is understood that this incident happened during flight.
They report that the crew stopped it’s climb at 25,000 feet due to the captain’s windshield cracking.
From there, the crew started dumping fuel and made a return back to Tokyo Narita.
It is understood, as per RadarBox data, that the aircraft landed safely at 1330 local time, under two hours after departure.
Aircraft Still Grounded…
Data from RadarBox shows that PH-BHA, the KLM Boeing 787 originally bound for Amsterdam, is still grounded in Tokyo following the incident.
Furthermore, information is limited surrounding the extent of the damage caused by the cracked windshield.
With the aircraft being grounded for a while so far, it would suggest some form of significant damage.
Unless photos are released, we won’t know the scale of the crack on the captain’s windshield.
When Will It Re-Enter Commercial Service?
With the above points in mind, it is unclear when the KLM Boeing 787, which suffered a cracked windshield, will re-enter commercial service.
Once it does, it will no doubt operate the KL862 Tokyo-Amsterdam service again, or it will position back to base.
If the damage is significant, then it could take a couple of days to source a replacement windshield.
Furthermore, if the existing windshield is able to be repaired, then that’s what will take place at the maintenance facilities.
For incidents like this, crew are trained to return back to the airport.
It can be seen as unsafe to continue on to it’s destination as the crack can develop under pressure at high altitudes.
In the worst case scenario, this could result in the windshield being damaged to the point that it loses pressure and separates.
But for now, all eyes will be on when PH-BHA, the KLM Boeing 787, will return to commercial service following it’s grounding in Tokyo.
As soon as we have more information pertinent to this, then we will update you accordingly at the bottom of the article.
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