One dead after Southwest Airlines jet engine 'explosion'

[Cray]

May I ask why the gender of the pilot is relevant?

Probably because it's a male dominated profession and it's a point of interest...

http://gendergapgrader.com/studies/airline-pilots/

“The Airman Database”, irrespectively of its title, includes a good number of women. But there is still a long way to parity: women account for approximately 5.44% of airline commercial pilots globally.

In the USA, about 5.12% of airline or commercial pilots are women. A low figure confirmed by other sources: “the U.S. Department of Labor reports that only 4.3% of the [US] population that reports making a living as a pilot or flight engineer is female” wrote Mireille Goyer, Founder of Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week.

 

[Kosmik]

Apparently the passenger did have her seatbelt on. The 737 is a fairly cramped aircraft, and in the cabin photos you can see that the seat is so close to the window, that your neck and head can be sucked out the window while your body is still firmly attached to the seat: https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=515487&d=1524001465

BTW, lap harnesses are most effective in the 'brace' position, and against forward forces, otherwise you need a multi-point harness (like pilots and rally-car drivers wear, and for rope climbers, and child restraints). See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt#4-,_5-,_and_6-point

Where did it say that it was attached? As someone said, judging by the image not but that can easily be changed although I doubt in a emergency landing, crew are going to go around and mess with seatbelts on seats and the masks are still deployed. Sure, possible it could suck someone OUT of a seatbelt ( your three point belt point ) but that looks clearly unbuckled.

 

[Gordon_R]

May I ask why the gender of the pilot is relevant?

Partly to correct common misconceptions! Look at this photo from the BBC article posted on Twitter, and tell me who this pilot is? http://twitter.com/EMMS_MrJohnson/status/986272629362495489/photo/1

Edit: The pilot (female) is on the right in the photo, the co-pilot is in the middle (male).

 

[Gordon_R]

Where did it say that it was attached? As someone said, judging by the image not but that can easily be changed although I doubt in a emergency landing, crew are going to go around and mess with seatbelts on seats and the masks are still deployed. Sure, possible it could suck someone OUT of a seatbelt ( your three point belt point ) but that looks clearly unbuckled.

I'm not sure what your point is, as its impossible to tell from a photo taken after landing what the belt situation was earlier in the flight. AFAIK it is normal procedure for seatbelts to be kept fastened until the aircraft has reached cruise altitude, and this accident happened just before that stage of the flight.

 

[buka001]

Respect to the pilot, ATC and all crew members for bringing that plane in safely. When I saw hat I suspected metal fatigue on the blades as a possible factor.

I would love to know how the dynamics of the plane changed after the incident. Increased drag on the left hand side, with air rushing in that window, would be different to a case where just an engine was lost.

Condolences for the loss of life. Quite sad and so unfortunate.

 

[The_Assimilator]

Wikipedia answered my question:

Although engine manufacturers are required by the FAA to perform blade off tests to ensure containment of shrapnel if blade separation occurs, the National Transportation Safety Board notes that "Engine enclosures are not designed to contain broken turbines, rather the turbines are designed not to break."

Yet this article directly contradicts that statement, although its interpretation of FAR 33.94 is perhaps incorrect?

Based on a margin of safety (MS) analysis, the most critical compressor, turbine or fan blade at its maximum permissible rotating speed must be contained by the casings while the engine should operate continuously for at least 15 s.

Absolute impossibility would require the engine to be so heavy that the aircraft never leaves the ground!

Making something absolutely safe is of course impossible in and of itself, but I don't believe that a failure of the turbine disk should ever allow a blade to leave the engine in any way, unless it's in a direction unlikely to cause damage to the plane or injury to its passengers.

May I ask why the gender of the pilot is relevant?

It's not, except to people who think women can't do anything except cook or make babies.

 

[Mila]

With a capital "g"?

Mr Geese to you!

 

[TheJman]

Read a few reports that indicate that she may have been hit by shrapnel - but nothing confirmed...

On the seatbelt points above - been told by a number of pilots that you should always have your belt fastened when seated - the plane could hit bad turbulence at any time and you could be thrown into the walls / ceiling - there was an incident a few years back on a SAA flight to Hong Kong I think, the plane lost altitude suddenly and some people we badly injured because they weren't strapped in...

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Read a few reports that indicate that she may have been hit by shrapnel - but nothing confirmed...

On the seatbelt points above - been told by a number of pilots that you should always have your belt fastened when seated - the plane could hit bad turbulence at any time and you could be thrown into the walls / ceiling - there was an incident a few years back on a SAA flight to Hong Kong I think, the plane lost altitude suddenly and some people we badly injured because they weren't strapped in...

clear air turbulence is definitely a thing,

know its gro$$ but why dont the toilets have seatbelts? I mean if you hit turbulence when you sitting down,
cant you get tossed around the cubicle?

 

[Flanders]

clear air turbulence is definitely a thing,

know its gro$$ but why dont the toilets have seatbelts? I mean if you hit turbulence when you sitting down,
cant you get tossed around the cubicle?

OMG, what a horrific thought. Can you imagine? Being thrown against the ceiling mid-job... :crylaugh:

I'd stay in there until the plane was on the ground and fully disembarked before coming out.

I KNOW I'm meant to take my seat before landing, lady! I KNOW that! You can knock as loud as you like. I'm not coming out! I can't be around people like this FFS!

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

know its gro$$ but why dont the toilets have seatbelts? I mean if you hit turbulence when you sitting down,
cant you get tossed around the cubicle?

Cause if you're strapped to the toilet the splash back is gonna mess you up good and proper ... :twisted:

 

[Gordon_R]

Wikipedia answered my question:

Yet this article directly contradicts that statement, although its interpretation of FAR 33.94 is perhaps incorrect?

Making something absolutely safe is of course impossible in and of itself, but I don't believe that a failure of the turbine disk should ever allow a blade to leave the engine in any way, unless it's in a direction unlikely to cause damage to the plane or injury to its passengers.

The Wikipedia article is a very concise summary (too short IMO), that is open to ambiguities in interpretation. Both are 'true', but the terminology is important:

Fan = front bit of the engine
Compressor = middle bit of the engine
Turbine = rear section of the engine

Blade = thin metal aerofoil
Compressor rotor = metal hub holding the blades
Turbine disk = huge solid piece of metal

Failed compressor blades and turbine blades are light, do not carry much momentum, and should be contained within the engine.

Failed fan blades are the most common risk outside of the engine, because they are large and have significant angular momentum, and they tend to depart forwards.

Failure of disks is extremely rare, but the effects can be catastrophic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_232#Failed_component

There is a Wikipedia entry for Southwest flight 1380, but is is very limited in scope: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Airlines_Flight_1380

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

OMG, what a horrific thought. Can you imagine? Being thrown against the ceiling mid-job... :crylaugh:

I'd stay in there until the plane was on the ground and fully disembarked before coming out.

I KNOW I'm meant to take my seat before landing, lady! I KNOW that! You can knock as loud as you like. I'm not coming out! I can't be around people like this FFS!

yip, I know its gro$$ but seatbelts, I mean the A380 aka flying Citroen has a huge bathroom,
and even a shower, imagine hitting CAT then? wouldn't be nice at all,

haven't they ever thought, seatbelts?
I mean I know force fields don't exist, but surely, being thrown to the ceiling mid flight probably will hurt.

 

[Gordon_R]

Useful accident 16 minute overview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKLcOgvgCcU

Juan Browne is a licenced B777 co-pilot, with a journalism background. He has done several videos in his personal capacity, aiming to describe complex accidents to the public.

Key comments and timeline:
Introductory photos: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=0
Rarity of engine failure and need for pilot intervention: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=20
Credentials of narrator: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=41
Factual narration of flight incident details: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=60
Pilot training for freak events: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=121
First US airline fatality since 2009: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=225
Animated overview of CFM56 jet engine: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=319
Assembly of fan blade dovetail joints: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=527
Video footage of various fan blade failure tests: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=586
Description of two Southwest fan blade failures: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=729
FAA airworthiness directive on blade inspection: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=847
Role of NTSB: https://youtu.be/SKLcOgvgCcU?t=876

One important point: The fan blade failure was contained within the engine, but the resulting vibrations (and high speed airflow) caused the cowling to disintegrate. The pieces of cowling debris caused the damage, not the blade itself.

 

[Blu82]

The lady that passed away was the person in that window seat.

A retired registered school nurse said she performed CPR on Riordan, who passengers say was partially sucked out of a damaged window on the jet.

Source

 

[Lupus]

So I'm guessing Mythbusters were wrong, they tested it and showed you shouldn't be sucked out the window from a decompressing cabin, but that was controlled and on the ground. RIP to the lady

 

[Blu82]

So I'm guessing Mythbusters were wrong, they tested it and showed you shouldn't be sucked out the window from a decompressing cabin, but that was controlled and on the ground. RIP to the lady

No idea why they needed to test it since it has happened before ie. British Airways Flight 5390 which was the pilot through the front window.

[video=youtube_share;_3Wamw6a4Wc]https://youtu.be/_3Wamw6a4Wc[/video]

 

[Voicy]

VAS Aviation is one of my favourite youtube channels.

He does excellent visual recreations tied in with actual radio chatter. There has been some very interesting events on his page, including the time Harrison Ford landed on a taxiway. Anyway, here's his video on the flight:

[video=youtube;cnSizWZVyD4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnSizWZVyD4[/video]

 

[Gordon_R]

VAS Aviation is one of my favourite youtube channels.

He does excellent visual recreations tied in with actual radio chatter.

Anyway, here's his video on the flight:

[video=youtube;cnSizWZVyD4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnSizWZVyD4[/video]

Thanks, eerie listening to ATC! Completely different kind of video, but gives real-time understanding of events.

 

[Voicy]

Thanks, eerie listening to ATC! Completely different kind of video, but gives real-time understanding of events.

Yeah man, I've watched a ton of the videos out of fascination. Some of them get hairy like this one where 2 planes had similar call signs and both thought they received the clear-for-takeoff confirmation. It got hairy.

[video=youtube;b26NcJCLZl4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b26NcJCLZl4[/video]