The crew of the Boeing 747-200 freighter made a normal take off from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands, on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to Tel Aviv, Israel. Seven and a half minutes later, while the aircraft was climbing through 6,500 feet (1,982 meters), the No. 3 pylon and its engine separated from the right wing and damaged part of the wing's leading edge. The No. 3 engine then struck the No. 4 engine, causing it to also separate from the aircraft.