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:

 

[Gordon_R]

Lengthy interview with the captain of the previous UAL blade failure:

 

[Blu82]

Lengthy interview with the captain of the previous UAL blade failure:

What this air crew handled wasn't gambling odds.

 

[Blu82]

Animation of what happened during the first incident. Also interesting to note that the Captain of the flight has acrobatic flying experience.

 

[Ivan Leon]

U.S. FAA Backs Inspections, Strengthening Key Part for Boeing 777-200 Engines - US News​

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday called for inspections and strengthening a key part for Boeing 777-200 airplanes equipped with Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines after an engine failure in February.

The FAA issued three proposed airworthiness directives, a move that will allow Boeing 777-200 airplanes equipped with PW4000 engines to return to service as soon as early 2022.

A fan blade failure prompted an engine to fail on a United Airlines 777-200 bound for Honolulu after takeoff from Denver on Feb. 20. The incident showered debris over nearby cities, but no one was injured and the plane safely returned to the airport.

The FAA said it was calling for strengthening engine cowlings, enhanced engine fan-blade inspection and inspection of other systems and components. The directives will require corrective action based on inspection results.

The FAA in February ordered immediate inspection of 777 planes with PW4000 engines before further flights after investigators found that a cracked fan blade on the United engine was consistent with metal fatigue.

United said the proposed directives "are a good outcome for our industry and United customers." It added "many of the affected engines have already undergone these proposed inspections. We expect these aircraft to safely re-join our fleet early next year."

Boeing Co said in a statement it supports the FAA’s guidance on inspection requirements for Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines "and will work with our customers and Pratt & Whitney through the process."

Raytheon Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney said on Wednesday the inspection of fan blades was "already underway" and could "be performed in the field, on or near-wing by trained personnel." It added the directive mandates "guidance Pratt & Whitney has provided to customers."

The FAA said "further action is necessary to address the airplane-level implications and unsafe condition resulting from in-flight engine fan blade failures."

United, the only U.S. operator of 777s with the PW4000 engine, has 52 of those planes that remain grounded.
United Chief Executive Scott Kirby noted that the airline's voluntary grounding of those 52 planes was not cheap.

"That is a massively expensive decision to make - but we did it for safety," Kirby told a U.S. Senate panel last week.

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2021-12-22/faa-issues-safety-directive-for-some-boeing-777-200-engines