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posted by martyb on Thursday April 19 2018, @08:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the lots-of-groundings-and-inspections-coming dept.

In an excellent article, jam-packed with details, The Seattle Times reports: (Javascript required)

One passenger died and several others were injured [April 18] when a Boeing 737 operated by Southwest en route from New York to Dallas suffered a serious engine blowout. Shrapnel broke a passenger window and penetrated the fuselage, forcing an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

[...] Southwest Flight 1380 [...] suffered a serious engine blowout 20 minutes into the flight at 32,500 feet

[...] The left engine exploded with such force that shrapnel penetrated the aircraft's fuselage and broke a window in the passenger cabin, causing depressurization and the deployment of oxygen masks.

The pilots--Capt. Tammie Jo Shults and an unidentified co-pilot--guided the plane carrying 144 passengers and five crew to a smooth landing. According to flight-tracking service FlightAware, the jet landed 20 minutes after the explosion.

Emergency vehicles drenched the damaged left engine in foam to prevent a fire as passengers exited the plane via stairs on the right side.

The woman who died was identified by Albuquerque TV news station KOAT as Jennifer Riordan, 43, a mother of two children and vice president of community relations at Wells Fargo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In preliminary briefings, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt said that inspection of the damaged engine revealed that one of the titanium blades on the big fan had broken off at the root, and that there was evidence of metal fatigue at the site where it broke.

He said metal fatigue is a major problem.

[...] Southwest CEO [Gary Kelly] said the airplane had undergone a routine maintenance inspection two days earlier, on April 15.

Fox Business notes

The engines [...] were built by CFM, a joint venture between U.S.-based General Electric and French company Safran Aircraft Engines.

[...] The CFM56-7B model is the exclusive engine of Boeing's "737 Next Generation" of aircraft--a partnership which began in July 1993 and includes the 700 series--and produces 19,500 to 27,300 pounds of thrust, the company said. The engines have been in use since 1997 and power more than 6,700 aircraft globally.


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  • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:21AM (8 children)

    by acid andy (1683) on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:21AM (#668950) Homepage Journal

    He said metal fatigue is a major problem.

    Well that's clear given that it caused the fan blade to break off and the engine to explode. But, more to the point, is it a frequent problem in these circles?

    --
    If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by MadTinfoilHatter on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:40AM (4 children)

    by MadTinfoilHatter (4635) on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:40AM (#668955)

    But, more to the point, is it a frequent problem in these circles?

    No, but it has happened at least once before. [wikipedia.org] And those pilots really displayed some mad skills in that not everybody on board that flight died, which given the circumstances, would have been the expected outcome.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:34PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:34PM (#669112)

      Check out the recorded conversation between the pilot and the air traffic controllers. After correcting the plane posture (it dropped sharply on one side due to the engine blow up, as if the plane is making a sharp turn) and stabilizing the altitude, she calmly reports the flight status to the air traffic controllers, request emergency landing, transistions to the desired airport's traffic controllers, and land the craft safely.

      At one point, an air traffic controller asks if there is fire in the cabin. She said "no, but parts of the plane had been blown out."

      She's one cool cat, a former navy pilot.

      • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:24PM (1 child)

        by acid andy (1683) on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:24PM (#669360) Homepage Journal

        Yeah. Tragic as it was, it's an amazing tale.

        Off duty flight instructor Fitch (who took over controlling the plane using just the left and right throttles) and Captain Haynes (from the wiki page):

        Fitch: "I'll tell you what, we'll have a beer when this is all done."

        Haynes: "Well I don't drink, but I'll sure as shit have one."

        and later:

        Sioux City Approach: "United Two Thirty-Two Heavy, the wind's currently three six zero at one one; three sixty at eleven. You're cleared to land on any runway."

        Haynes: "[laughter] Roger. [laughter] You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?"

        --
        If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
        • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:29PM

          by acid andy (1683) on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:29PM (#669366) Homepage Journal

          Just realized AC is probably talking about the TFA. I was talking about MadTinfoilHatter's link about Flight 232.

          --
          If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
      • (Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:45PM

        by pkrasimirov (3358) Subscriber Badge on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:45PM (#669375)
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by turgid on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:41AM (1 child)

    by turgid (4318) Subscriber Badge on Thursday April 19 2018, @09:41AM (#668956) Journal

    In order to improve efficiency, engines must be run at higher temperatures and pressures. Obviously, this puts more stress on the components.

    • (Score: 3, Troll) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:15AM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Thursday April 19 2018, @10:15AM (#668972) Homepage Journal

      That's how Amazon runs its warehouses. The guys working there must carry around a bottle to piss in. Because they don't have time to take a bathroom break. Very efficient. But so nasty!!!!

  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday April 19 2018, @06:04PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday April 19 2018, @06:04PM (#669193)

    Happens once every few million hours of operation. Typically contained in the engines. Uncontained ones are even rarer. Casualties in the last few decades are less than one day of US roads.

    "Plane has critical mishap, lands safely". Have you thanked an engineer today?