Narrative:

Our flight departed guam for narita, japan during darkness. We climbed to our assigned altitude of 37000 ft on airway B586. Everything was proceeding normally until we approached omlet intersection. I had the cockpit lights on bright and without warning or sound, vibration or sudden attitude change, all engine instruments for #3 engine dropped to zero. I called for the engine fire/failure checklist. The copilot was flying the plane which was on autoplt, with use of pms and autothrottle engaged. As the so began reading the checklist the widebody transport began to exhibit a slight buffeting and attitude change. The copilot took the plane off autoplt and autothrottle and advanced the thrust levers on the 3 good engines to climb power. After I and the so completed the engine shutdown checklist I realized that the plane could not maintain altitude since the airspeed was bleeding back. I called japan radio on HF for a descent clearance but was immediately told, despite having said our #3 engine failed, that we were required to maintain our assigned altitude. We had no choice except to get off the airway. I again called japan radio and stated that we were unable to maintain altitude and were flying off the airway and descending. I instructed the copilot to fly an offset track 25 mi west, or left, of the airway, which he did, while maintaining 3 engine en route climb speed in the descent. I had thought the engine shut down from a silent compressor stall since a compressor stall is quite common in the widebody transport but later was informed by the so that the engine simply flamed out. Japan radio was told of my assessment and which engine was shut down and that we were descending off airway to meet a 25 mi offset. The so, after completing the engine failure checklist, asked me to restore the fire switch in, to preserve the hydraulic pump, which I did. He then got out the engine restart checklist and said the engine regime for restart was around 32000 ft. During the descent and near 32000 ft we restarted the engine, it ran normally, I advanced power on #3 engine equal to the settings on the other engines, and we climbed back to 37000 ft on the offset track. After reaching FL370, I instructed the copilot to return to the airway. Japan radio instructed me to join the airway prior to vasko intersection and we complied. During our descent I turned on as many exterior lights (landing lights, wing lights) as I could and shut them off when back level at FL370. Despite our nearness to iwo jima island, we could not have used its runway for an emergency landing due to its short length.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: #3 ENG ON WDB IN CRUISE AT FL370 DIED. FLC UNABLE TO OBTAIN LOWER ALT TURNED OFF COURSE TO 25 MI PARALLEL TO RTE. IN DSCNT AT APPROX FL320 RELIT ENG AND CLBED BACK TO FL370 REJOINING AIRWAY.

Narrative: OUR FLT DEPARTED GUAM FOR NARITA, JAPAN DURING DARKNESS. WE CLBED TO OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 37000 FT ON AIRWAY B586. EVERYTHING WAS PROCEEDING NORMALLY UNTIL WE APCHED OMLET INTXN. I HAD THE COCKPIT LIGHTS ON BRIGHT AND WITHOUT WARNING OR SOUND, VIBRATION OR SUDDEN ATTITUDE CHANGE, ALL ENG INSTS FOR #3 ENG DROPPED TO ZERO. I CALLED FOR THE ENG FIRE/FAILURE CHKLIST. THE COPLT WAS FLYING THE PLANE WHICH WAS ON AUTOPLT, WITH USE OF PMS AND AUTOTHROTTLE ENGAGED. AS THE SO BEGAN READING THE CHKLIST THE WDB BEGAN TO EXHIBIT A SLIGHT BUFFETING AND ATTITUDE CHANGE. THE COPLT TOOK THE PLANE OFF AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE AND ADVANCED THE THRUST LEVERS ON THE 3 GOOD ENGS TO CLB PWR. AFTER I AND THE SO COMPLETED THE ENG SHUTDOWN CHKLIST I REALIZED THAT THE PLANE COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT SINCE THE AIRSPD WAS BLEEDING BACK. I CALLED JAPAN RADIO ON HF FOR A DSCNT CLRNC BUT WAS IMMEDIATELY TOLD, DESPITE HAVING SAID OUR #3 ENG FAILED, THAT WE WERE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN OUR ASSIGNED ALT. WE HAD NO CHOICE EXCEPT TO GET OFF THE AIRWAY. I AGAIN CALLED JAPAN RADIO AND STATED THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT AND WERE FLYING OFF THE AIRWAY AND DSNDING. I INSTRUCTED THE COPLT TO FLY AN OFFSET TRACK 25 MI W, OR L, OF THE AIRWAY, WHICH HE DID, WHILE MAINTAINING 3 ENG ENRTE CLB SPD IN THE DSCNT. I HAD THOUGHT THE ENG SHUT DOWN FROM A SILENT COMPRESSOR STALL SINCE A COMPRESSOR STALL IS QUITE COMMON IN THE WDB BUT LATER WAS INFORMED BY THE SO THAT THE ENG SIMPLY FLAMED OUT. JAPAN RADIO WAS TOLD OF MY ASSESSMENT AND WHICH ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND THAT WE WERE DSNDING OFF AIRWAY TO MEET A 25 MI OFFSET. THE SO, AFTER COMPLETING THE ENG FAILURE CHKLIST, ASKED ME TO RESTORE THE FIRE SWITCH IN, TO PRESERVE THE HYDRAULIC PUMP, WHICH I DID. HE THEN GOT OUT THE ENG RESTART CHKLIST AND SAID THE ENG REGIME FOR RESTART WAS AROUND 32000 FT. DURING THE DSCNT AND NEAR 32000 FT WE RESTARTED THE ENG, IT RAN NORMALLY, I ADVANCED PWR ON #3 ENG EQUAL TO THE SETTINGS ON THE OTHER ENGS, AND WE CLBED BACK TO 37000 FT ON THE OFFSET TRACK. AFTER REACHING FL370, I INSTRUCTED THE COPLT TO RETURN TO THE AIRWAY. JAPAN RADIO INSTRUCTED ME TO JOIN THE AIRWAY PRIOR TO VASKO INTXN AND WE COMPLIED. DURING OUR DSCNT I TURNED ON AS MANY EXTERIOR LIGHTS (LNDG LIGHTS, WING LIGHTS) AS I COULD AND SHUT THEM OFF WHEN BACK LEVEL AT FL370. DESPITE OUR NEARNESS TO IWO JIMA ISLAND, WE COULD NOT HAVE USED ITS RWY FOR AN EMER LNDG DUE TO ITS SHORT LENGTH.

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.