US plane scatters engine debris over Denver homes [B777]

[Flanders]

Imagine being crushed by falling airplane debris ...what a way to go out this world .

Or just being donked on the head and severely injured by a super lightweight, gigantic, PW4000 engine inlet lip falling out of the sky.

 

[Arthur]

Just checked. It's only the older 777-200s with the P&W 4000-112 engine that have been grounded. This engine, with huge hollow fan blades, is specific to that model of B777 on just a few airlines, and only those have been grounded. The other 2500-odd B777s continue as normal. As you know, it's generally the airline that selects the engine. All B777s since 2004 have only the GE-90 engine.

 

[Gordon_R]

Update on the fan blade failure, and subsequent cowling disintegration:

 

[Blu82]

I doubt it. Note that the P&W 4000-112 engine type is specifically for the B777. I suspect the grounding order is for the engine, not the airframe.

A 747 had a similar incident on the same day with multiple injuries on the ground. The picture of the debris embedded in the car earlier in this tread is from that incident.

 

[JohnStarr]

.... That moment when all the atheists on the plane become believers.

...then probably back to being atheists back on the ground!

 

[Supervan II]

My one cousin and her husband recently moved from Denver. To Austin, Texas.

Now I'm not sure which is better: getting seriously injured/killed by things falling out of the sky, or freezing to death ...

 

[Gordon_R]

Least surprising revelation about this incident:

Boeing 777: Signs of 'metal fatigue' found on Denver plane engine

The aircraft had to make an emergency landing after its engine failed, scattering debris over homes below.

www.bbc.com

It said 128 jets should be suspended until inspections had been carried out. United Airlines, Egyptair, and operators in Japan and South Korea have all said they will not be flying their Boeing-777s.

The NTSB said late on Monday that two fan blades on Flight 328's Pratt & Whitney engine had broken. One of them showed signs of metal fatigue, and investigators believe it broke off and chipped the second blade.

 

[Blu82]

 

[AntennaMan]

Nice video from Captain Joe:

 

[Gordon_R]

Detailed report into the previous incident (almost identical), and the testing procedures for engine fan blades: