[BoneCollector]

There was an uncontained engine failure on a United Airlines (UA328) Boeing 777 today when it took off from Denver International Airport on way to Honolulu, Hawaii. The right engine failed forcing the pilot to declare emergency and return to Denver on priority.

Flight Path

Source




The engine parts have strewn all around residential areas of Denver. Source

Link

Video

https://youtu.be/sBxe4cQzUIY

It's great to see that no lives were lost in air or on ground.

[JithinR]

So all those movie scenes that show the pilot cutting of the fuel supply and activating fire suppression system are not realistic?

Glad to hear that no lives were lost.

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

There was an uncontained engine failure on a United Airlines (UA328) Boeing 777 today when it took off from Denver International Airport on way to Honolulu, Hawai.
Attachment 2124111
Attachment 2124115
https://Youtu.be/sBxe4cQzUIY

If one were to see this from the cabin, this is that moment in time where you sincerely become a believer and pray to whoever is up there. You ask for forgiveness and that one last chance.

The 777 although old now, is one of the finest aircrafts from Boeing ever with continuous updates and the new 777X next gen around the corner. This plane can fly with just one engine running to safety certified by its ETOPS approval. Despite all that, it is still a nightmare come true moment when you see an engine like that and takes a brave crew on board, to calm the passengers and also get the plane back on the ground safely.

Also how lucky is this guy ? His pick up lived to tell the tale !

There was a similar incident 4 years back, with an A380 losing one of her engines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY1Op4Mhs58

Originally Posted by JithinR

So all those movie scenes that show the pilot cutting of the fuel supply and activating fire suppression system are not realistic?

Yes, there are fire extinguishing systems within the engines, usually halon pressurized with nitrogen.

[Jeroen]

Well, it was not a good day for Boeing. On this very same day a Boeing 747 lost some bits over a Dutch village too!

http://avherald.com/h?article=4e35302b

This is not how you want fo find your parked car!



Jeroen

[abhi9044]

Seems like none of the Hydraulic Lines were damaged which made sure that the plane was flyable. Thank god, everyone made it back safe. Here's a link throwing some light on the engine and similar events that occurred in the past.

https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/...142520.article

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

This is not how you want fo find your parked car!
Attachment 2124349
Jeroen

Now that is a good reason why one should not go for a sunroof or a convertible . Thank God it didn't fall on someone's head !

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Well, it was not a good day for Boeing. On this very same day a Boeing 747 lost some bits over a Dutch village too!
http://avherald.com/h?article=4e35302b

Boeing must be having a PR Nightmare right now. The recent 737 Max groundings are already a huge stain on their reputation. It doesn't help matters that the 777X is still not ready. And now this !

[itwasntme]

Very lucky given that no shrapnel came towards the passenger cabin. Could very well have ended up far worse like Southwest 1380:
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ai...irport-n866686

[libranof1987]

Post this incident, United Airlines has removed all their Boeing 777s that have P&W engines from service.

United Airlines is removing all of its Boeing 777 planes currently in service that are powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engines after the Federal Aviation Administration called for stepped-up inspections.

The airline announced Sunday it was immediately removing the planes "out of an abundance of caution." The 24 aircraft are part of the 52 777s in the United fleet. The other 28 remain in storage.

"We reviewed all available safety data following yesterday's incident," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said, referring to the United Airlines flight that was forced to return to Denver International Airport on Saturday after it suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff, causing debris to fall in greater Denver.

"Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes," Dickson said.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/21/u...ion/index.html

[fhdowntheline]

Some in the USA media went bonkers while describing the incident " Huge chunks fell off from the sky, thousands of miles below on the ground" is how one media outlet described the incident.

I am surprised that these " first-gen B777s" are still being operated especially in the current economic scenario.

[norhog]

https://youtu.be/oQITXcRGPSU

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Very lucky given that no shrapnel came towards the passenger cabin. Could very well have ended up far worse like Southwest 1380:

Well, it did and punctured the outer skin of the aircraft.



Exclusive: New Photos Of United Plane Show Hole Torn In Fuselage

[sagarpadaki]

Maybe since the flight was at lower altitude, the tear in the skin did not result in explosive decompression?

[KiloAlpha]

An update on the UAL incident:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwNCCrjMmeg

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Maybe since the flight was at lower altitude, the tear in the skin did not result in explosive decompression?

What the image shows is damage to the wing root fairing.These fairings are for aero dynamic purpose. They are not part of any structural part of the fuselage.

So, fuselage integrity was never compromised due to this damage.

Jeroen

[KiloAlpha]

People are now drawing parallels with another UAL flight 2 years ago that had a similar failure (see http://avherald.com/h?article=4b4e8ca7&opt=0) and the B747 cargo flight with 4000 series Pratt & Whitney engines (see http://avherald.com/h?article=4e35302b&opt=0).
And then there was SWA 1380, but with CFM engines, which also had a similar failure: http://avherald.com/h?article=4b7725fb&opt=0

The remarkable coincidence is:
SWA flight 1380 aircraft registration N772SW
UAL flight 328 aircraft registration N772UA
UAL flight 1175 aircraft registration N773UA

Maybe US airline executives will now start getting superstitious about registration numbers that have "77"???