It had been previously operated by Pan Am, and TWA before being converted into a freighter and delivered to Evergreen International Airlines in December 1988.

Shortly after the engine separated from the airplane, the flight crew declared an emergency, and the captain initiated a large radius turn to the left to return and land on runway 06R.

While on the downwind portion of the landing pattern, bank angles momentarily exceeded 48 degrees, alternating with wings level.

It is likely that the reason for the engine detachment was due to the turbulence from the Alaskan Mountains the plane experienced as it climbed through 2,000 feet.

Prior to JAL46E's takeoff, another Evergreen 747 also on behalf operation with Japan Air Lines, JAL42E, also experienced minor damage.

[4] Prior to this accident the aircraft in question was chartered for the filming of the action movie Die Hard 2, which featured a scene where a character was ingested into the number 2 engine.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board.