Reposting this after instructions from Aseem -ji!!!!

NTSB Identification: LAX06FA063
> Scheduled 14 CFR Part 129: Foreign operation of Air India
> Accident occurred Monday, December 19, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA
> Aircraft: Boeing 747-400, registration: VT-AIM
> Injuries: 273 Uninjured.
>
> This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain
> errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final
> report has been completed.
>
> On December 19, 2005, at 2030 Pacific standard time, the four
right
> main body landing gear tires on a Boeing 747-400, Indian registry
VT-
> AIM, operating as Air India flight 136, blew during takeoff from
Los
> Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California. Air India
> was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part
129.
> The captain, first officer, a relief captain, 14 flight
attendants,
> and 256 passengers were not injured; the airplane sustained
> substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time and was
> destined for Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Germany.
> Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument
flight
> plan was in effect.
>
> Following the airplane's liftoff from runway 25R, an operations
> specialist for the Los Angeles airport was notified by an air
> traffic control tower (ATCT) controller that there appeared to be
> foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway. The operations
specialist
> was positioned in an airport surveillance vehicle near the end of
> runway 25R on the taxiway prior to and during the airplane's
> departure, and had heard two loud, succinct booms, as the airplane
> rotated from the runway. The specialist proceeded down runway 25R
> and noted a substantial amount of debris on the runway and
adjoining
> taxiways. From the east end of the runway, the first debris noted
> was two sections of rubber approximately 2,500 feet down the
12,091-
> foot runway. The next set of debris included pieces of the brake
> assemblies. At 4,000 feet down the runway, metal pieces that
> appeared to be from the landing gear wheel rims were identified.
The
> majority of the debris, which included large sections of the wheel
> rims and portioned rubber sections of tire, were found along the
> runway until about 10,000 feet down the runway.
>
> After the event, the airplane circled off shore to jettison fuel
in
> order to land. The airplane returned to the airport and landed at
> 2155 on runway 25L. As the airplane approached the east end of
> runway 25L to land, the specialist noted that none of the right
main
> body landing gear tires were present. After the airplane landed,
the
> specialist noted the majority of the debris was located on runway
> 25R following the initial takeoff and not on runway 25L, the
landing
> runway.
>
> Examination of 25R's runway surface revealed no skid marks along
the
> right side of the runway centerline prior to the 2,500-foot point.
> Rubber tire marks were noted in a feather-like, brush pattern
> approximately 3,000 feet down the runway and again near taxiway P.
> Groove marks were present intermittently within the runway surface
> along the centerline and right of centerline positions about mid-
> runway length.
>
> National Transporation Safety Board investigators and the Federal
> Aviation Administration accident coordinator examined the airplane
> on December 20. All of the wheel assemblies had been removed to
> facilitate recovery of the airplane from the runway. The right
main
> body gear wheel assemblies were laid out and examined. The forward
> rims were intact and the tire beads remained attached to each rim.
> Circumferential rub marks were present along the outer lips of the
> rims. The aft wheel assemblies were more significantly damaged.
Both
> outer lips of the rims were fractured into multiple pieces. The
aft
> hub sections showed considerably more circumferential rubbing than
> the forward pieces. Shrapnel from the rims penetrated the fuselage
> structure in multiple locations. There were two approximate 2-foot
> by 2-foot holes in the lower fuselage. Closer examination showed
> that three of the rim sections on the outboard, aft wheel assembly
> were located within the fuselage structure and one had penetrated
> through the pressure vessel of the airplane. Investigators noted
> numerous smaller punctures along the lower fuselage back toward
the
> leading edge of the right horizontal stabilizer and lower portion
of
> the right elevator. Examination of the wheel well revealed black
> colored smudge marks throughout the walls and upper surface of the
> well. Investigators further noted that a line for the number 4
> hydraulic system located in the wheel well had been compromised.
>