Narrative:

After takeoff sfo runway 28R, loud thumping noise along with aircraft vibration (first officer flying). Gear had just been retracted (approximately 300 ft AGL). First thought was tire failure in wheel well. Shortly thereafter, #3 egt began rapid rise along with egt warning. Vibration continued, first officer still flying. I shut down #3 (egt approximately 750 degrees C). Stopped egt rise and vibration. Asked non flying first officer's to do checklist. Returned attention to flying first officer just as stick shaker commenced. All 3 other crew members telling him to watch his speed. Shortly thereafter, with intermittent stick shaker (speed approximately 160 KTS), received GPWS warning, pull up, terrain. Track had drifted right of prescribed course for engine out procedure. I took over aircraft, prevented stall while still attempting to climb and return to prescribed 295 degree radial of VOR. Terrain warning intermittent (we had entered fog at departure end of runway). Broke out of overcast at +/- 1000 ft MSL VFR conditions on top. Cleaned up aircraft, climbed to 5000 ft. Received dump vectors. Dumped fuel for approximately 30 mins. Opted for overweight landing due to fog west of airport. Normal 3 engine approach and landing. Ground equipment standing by advised everything looked normal. Taxied to gate. Takeoff gross weight 860920 pounds. Fuel dumped to 187000 pounds. Fuel 374000 pounds. Boeing 747-400. Landing weight 670000 pounds. First officer stated he felt as if aircraft was not responding to his inputs, was surprised by lack of performance and distraction by stall warning, etc. Please call for further information. My attention should have been directed to first officer's flying of the aircraft first, then dealing with engine problem. All the various engine warnings brought me into the cockpit instead of helping first officer fly the aircraft. Should have taken over aircraft sooner. Supplemental information from acn 406808: soon after liftoff at about 300-500 ft, the #3 engine began compressor stalling and the egt rose to 750 degrees C (the limit for takeoff is 650 degrees C). The throttle was retarded to idle and an emergency was declared while flying the air carrier's 3 engine profile with 20 degrees flaps and a gross weight of 864000 pounds. On departure, stick shaker, GPWS were annunciated. After flaps were retracted and the aircraft accelerated, vectors for fuel dumping were requested. After fuel dumping, we were vectored to an ILS for runway 28R and an overweight landing was made with 30 degrees flaps. No known injuries or damage to the aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was acting as relief pilot and was sitting in the seat between the captain and first officer. He had a good view of everything going on. Flight crew experienced loss of engine power on #3 during initial climb out. The loud thumping noise and vibration occurred at 300-500 ft AGL. He noticed the flying first officer lost 40 KIAS during the initial climb out. The other relief pilot and he both shouted out loud 'airspeed.' this callout got the captain's attention and he turned back to see the airspeed low. He then took control of the aircraft, held the aircraft level until the airspeed picked up. There was no loss of altitude. Then the flight crew took action to dump fuel. The flight crew dumped 30000 pounds of fuel and returned to land overweight at 690000 pounds at sfo. It was not known exactly what caused the engine to fail. Supplemental information from acn 406322: I noted the aircraft was handling very sluggish and very slow to climb. Instinctively, I pulled the nose up just a bit more to climb away from the ground. Perhaps by doing this, airspeed was allowed to decay and thus the stick shaker system was activated.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 SUFFERS LOSS OF #3 ENG DURING TKOF FROM SFO. FLC SHUTS DOWN ENG, DUMPS FUEL, AND RETURN LAND AT DEP ARPT.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF SFO RWY 28R, LOUD THUMPING NOISE ALONG WITH ACFT VIBRATION (FO FLYING). GEAR HAD JUST BEEN RETRACTED (APPROX 300 FT AGL). FIRST THOUGHT WAS TIRE FAILURE IN WHEEL WELL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, #3 EGT BEGAN RAPID RISE ALONG WITH EGT WARNING. VIBRATION CONTINUED, FO STILL FLYING. I SHUT DOWN #3 (EGT APPROX 750 DEGS C). STOPPED EGT RISE AND VIBRATION. ASKED NON FLYING FO'S TO DO CHKLIST. RETURNED ATTN TO FLYING FO JUST AS STICK SHAKER COMMENCED. ALL 3 OTHER CREW MEMBERS TELLING HIM TO WATCH HIS SPD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WITH INTERMITTENT STICK SHAKER (SPD APPROX 160 KTS), RECEIVED GPWS WARNING, PULL UP, TERRAIN. TRACK HAD DRIFTED R OF PRESCRIBED COURSE FOR ENG OUT PROC. I TOOK OVER ACFT, PREVENTED STALL WHILE STILL ATTEMPTING TO CLB AND RETURN TO PRESCRIBED 295 DEG RADIAL OF VOR. TERRAIN WARNING INTERMITTENT (WE HAD ENTERED FOG AT DEP END OF RWY). BROKE OUT OF OVCST AT +/- 1000 FT MSL VFR CONDITIONS ON TOP. CLEANED UP ACFT, CLBED TO 5000 FT. RECEIVED DUMP VECTORS. DUMPED FUEL FOR APPROX 30 MINS. OPTED FOR OVERWT LNDG DUE TO FOG W OF ARPT. NORMAL 3 ENG APCH AND LNDG. GND EQUIP STANDING BY ADVISED EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL. TAXIED TO GATE. TKOF GROSS WT 860920 LBS. FUEL DUMPED TO 187000 LBS. FUEL 374000 LBS. BOEING 747-400. LNDG WT 670000 LBS. FO STATED HE FELT AS IF ACFT WAS NOT RESPONDING TO HIS INPUTS, WAS SURPRISED BY LACK OF PERFORMANCE AND DISTR BY STALL WARNING, ETC. PLEASE CALL FOR FURTHER INFO. MY ATTN SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO FO'S FLYING OF THE ACFT FIRST, THEN DEALING WITH ENG PROB. ALL THE VARIOUS ENG WARNINGS BROUGHT ME INTO THE COCKPIT INSTEAD OF HELPING FO FLY THE ACFT. SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OVER ACFT SOONER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 406808: SOON AFTER LIFTOFF AT ABOUT 300-500 FT, THE #3 ENG BEGAN COMPRESSOR STALLING AND THE EGT ROSE TO 750 DEGS C (THE LIMIT FOR TKOF IS 650 DEGS C). THE THROTTLE WAS RETARDED TO IDLE AND AN EMER WAS DECLARED WHILE FLYING THE ACR'S 3 ENG PROFILE WITH 20 DEGS FLAPS AND A GROSS WT OF 864000 LBS. ON DEP, STICK SHAKER, GPWS WERE ANNUNCIATED. AFTER FLAPS WERE RETRACTED AND THE ACFT ACCELERATED, VECTORS FOR FUEL DUMPING WERE REQUESTED. AFTER FUEL DUMPING, WE WERE VECTORED TO AN ILS FOR RWY 28R AND AN OVERWT LNDG WAS MADE WITH 30 DEGS FLAPS. NO KNOWN INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS ACTING AS RELIEF PLT AND WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT BTWN THE CAPT AND FO. HE HAD A GOOD VIEW OF EVERYTHING GOING ON. FLC EXPERIENCED LOSS OF ENG PWR ON #3 DURING INITIAL CLBOUT. THE LOUD THUMPING NOISE AND VIBRATION OCCURRED AT 300-500 FT AGL. HE NOTICED THE FLYING FO LOST 40 KIAS DURING THE INITIAL CLBOUT. THE OTHER RELIEF PLT AND HE BOTH SHOUTED OUT LOUD 'AIRSPD.' THIS CALLOUT GOT THE CAPT'S ATTN AND HE TURNED BACK TO SEE THE AIRSPD LOW. HE THEN TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT, HELD THE ACFT LEVEL UNTIL THE AIRSPD PICKED UP. THERE WAS NO LOSS OF ALT. THEN THE FLC TOOK ACTION TO DUMP FUEL. THE FLC DUMPED 30000 LBS OF FUEL AND RETURNED TO LAND OVERWT AT 690000 LBS AT SFO. IT WAS NOT KNOWN EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THE ENG TO FAIL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 406322: I NOTED THE ACFT WAS HANDLING VERY SLUGGISH AND VERY SLOW TO CLB. INSTINCTIVELY, I PULLED THE NOSE UP JUST A BIT MORE TO CLB AWAY FROM THE GND. PERHAPS BY DOING THIS, AIRSPD WAS ALLOWED TO DECAY AND THUS THE STICK SHAKER SYS WAS ACTIVATED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.