Aviation Appreciation Station

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

I was on early revenue flights last year to/from Houston, new livery and everything, still had the new plane smell. I sat in 22A & F, and it was fine. That's as far back as I would go, because of the Lav.

I feel every window is misaligned on the updated 705/900 - hah.

It was an extra $20 to book the comfort fare which allows me to pick my seat and get a beer. No brainer really.

Trying to decide if the first row after business class would be the best or the second row of economy.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by speede5

https://twitter.com/NTSB_Newsroom/st...ictim-photo%2F

So from what I see in these pics the engine didn't exactly fail, looks more like the cowlings all came apart and killed the engine. Maybe there was engine damage that vibrated the cowlings to the point of failure? But you would think they would detect that. Interesting that there's a blade missing, those things rarely break.

I wonder if that one fan blade going caused it all? Massive amounts of energy in them while they're operating.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

It was an extra $20 to book the comfort fare which allows me to pick my seat and get a beer. No brainer really.

Trying to decide if the first row after business class would be the best or the second row of economy.

I think as long as you avoid the hot mess that is the back and that are the rows before and after the wing exits, you'll be fine.

As long as you don't take that first aisle seat in economy too - when I boarded, even I bumped into the lady sitting there, and I like to think I'm a bit more conscientious than the average traveler.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I wonder if that one fan blade going caused it all? Massive amounts of energy in them while they're operating.

It’s possible I guess. I’m pretty surprised that they are talking about metal fatigue in the engine just hours after without lab analysis or anything.

The fan blades have purely centrifugal forces on them. And if one breaks it should go into the engine not forward. The turbine blades are the real danger as and are usually the ones to wreak havoc. It’s possible there was a surge which blew that blade forward and damaged the cowlings to the point of failure.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt I have seen all of 4 pictures of the engine and nothing close up.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Acey

Might not be a UA232 or DL1288 type of failure, but the results are similar in that flying pieces of metal from the failed motor caused catastrophic damage, to a human life in this case. For all intents and purposes, this is DL1288 again.

I just googled this. DL1288 had a compressor fan blow apart. The whole front of the engine came of this engine is basically intact. When I heard uncontained engine failure I pictured something like 1288.

I think the debris that broke the window was from the cowling not the engine. The casing of the engine should contain any blades that break. None of the pictures show that it failed to do so.

[Ryan Coke]

Interesting analysis, seeing those pics it sure doesn’t look like an uncontained failure. It’ll be interesting to hear some findings once they come out.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by speede5

I just googled this. DL1288 had a compressor fan blow apart. The whole front of the engine came of this engine is basically intact. When I heard uncontained engine failure I pictured something like 1288.

I think the debris that broke the window was from the cowling not the engine. The casing of the engine should contain any blades that break. None of the pictures show that it failed to do so.

Yeah, as I said I was speaking of the result; pieces of the engine penetrating the cabin and inflicting fatal injuries.

[La Flames Fan]

Not the first time for Southwest either...

[Lubicon]

Two pretty similar looking incidents (pending actual findings as to the cause), both on the same airline. Thousands of these engines out there and right now that appears to be the only common denominator. Right now there is zero evidence that is anything more than than a coincidence but certainly odd at initial glance.

[Acey]

They are the biggest operator of the 737 NG on the planet, so statistically I suppose it's most likely to happen to them. Is it deficiencies in the CFM engine? A deficiency in their maintenance procedures/inspections?

[Fuzz]

In August 2016, a Southwest flight made a safe emergency landing in Pensacola, Fla., after a fan blade separated from the same type of engine, and debris ripped a foot-long hole above the left wing. The 2016 incident prompted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to propose ultrasonic inspections of similar fan blades and their replacement should they fail the test.
The FAA had "determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design," according to its proposal last year.


'Tammie Jo Schults the pilot came back to speak to each of us personally. This is a true American hero,' passenger Diana McBride wrote on Facebook. Schults, right, was one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. military and was at the controls when the jet landed. (Facebook)
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an airworthiness directive last month requiring a one-time ultrasonic inspection of each affected fan blade on models of CFM56 engines within nine months of April 2. It said that CFM had sent a service bulletin recommending inspections, leading regulators to make the directive. EASA said the directive was issued after the failure of a fan blade on a CFM56 engine, which led to the uncontained release of debris.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/southwe...tion-1.4624463

It sure sounds like it isn't limited just to Southwest.

[Bigtime]

Globe & Mail had an article today saying that WestJet said they will be accelerating their testing of engines as per the info from EASA and the FAA.

[Acey]

WestJet has sent a bunch of frames to Southwest, too. All -700's. Maybe 15 or so.

[Bigtime]

I think the incident aircraft in this one was built in 2000, so no chance of it being a former WS bird.

[Fuzz]

https://twitter.com/user/status/986306926937075713

Who would have thought...the safety demos actually include some important info...

[Madman]

https://twitter.com/user/status/989125882571669504

[Bigtime]

Good job getting it down safe, will be interesting to find out what happened. Here is the flight track from Medicine Hat to Calgary for this plane: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/CFCWW

[rotten42]

Wow...that is right near my office. So many things he could have hit on the way down.

[rayne008]

Man I love happy endings when it comes to emergency landings!

From flight aware it looks like the pilot knew for about 10 minutes he was in trouble.

And the fact he landed while it was dark on 36th street - with so many obstructions is amazing!

[Bigtime]

36th street now renamed runway 35R. The current 35R becomes 35C.