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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: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday April 19 2018, @12:24PM (10 children)

    by Thexalon (636) on Thursday April 19 2018, @12:24PM (#669039)

    Government bureaucracy at the FAA just saved the lives of all but 1 of the people on that plane. Everybody involved followed procedures and training to a T, and if you listen to the radio traffic the level of professionalism across the board is impressive.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    Starting Score:    1  point
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    Total Score:   5  
  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @01:09PM (9 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @01:09PM (#669071)

    You can, however, credit professionalism and objective standards.

    • (Score: 5, Touché) by Thexalon on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:36PM (8 children)

      by Thexalon (636) on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:36PM (#669113)

      So let me get this straight:
      1. Everyone involved was extremely professional in a crisis situation. This had absolutely nothing to do with the culture of the bureaucracy they were a part of.
      2. Everyone involved met objective standards of behavior and training. This had absolutely nothing to do with the bureaucracy that created and enforced those objective standards and certified the level of training for everyone involved.
      3. At least half the voices heard on the radio communications were civil servants, a.k.a. government bureaucrats. That's what air traffic controllers are, albeit relatively low-level bureaucrats. But again, their actions have nothing to do with a government bureaucracy.
      4. Everyone was following established procedures for emergency landing, which government bureaucrats had created a long time ago. This had absolutely nothing to do with the bureaucracy either.

      Well, I'm sure glad we're clear about that.

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:44PM (2 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:44PM (#669117) Journal

        It definitely had a lot to do with Navy training. https://heavy.com/news/2018/04/tammie-jo-shults-pilot-southwest-flight-1380-engine-hero/ [heavy.com]

        • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:56PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:56PM (#669122)

          She was one of the first women Navy pilots, right?

          You know what the means? As an individual, she must be extraordinary, regardless of her Navy training.

        • (Score: 3, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:57PM

          by Thexalon (636) on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:57PM (#669124)

          Absolutely. None of that is a knock on Captain Shults' training or experience. However, she wasn't the only one who made this possible: I counted her co-pilot, the flight attendant(s), 3 ATCs, and a couple of other pilots, plus the emergency personnel who responded on the runway, all of whom did their jobs perfectly. These kinds of things are a team effort that require people and organizations that can work together and rely on each other.

          If you put Shults in the cockpit, but don't give her that kind of support, then things do not turn out as well as they did. For a simple example, what would have happened if another plane hadn't cleared that runway in time?

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:54PM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @02:54PM (#669120)

        A group of professionals who adhere to objective standards can create a very useful government bureaucracy, but a government bureaucracy won't necessarily (or even likely) create a group of professionals who adhere to objective standards.

        Get it yet?

        • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday April 19 2018, @03:46PM (3 children)

          by Thexalon (636) on Thursday April 19 2018, @03:46PM (#669138)

          Yes, I do get it: Objectively, the bureaucracy worked well to solve a problem, but a lot of people dogmatically believe that all bureaucracy sucks, and are experiencing cognitive dissonance as a result.

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @04:33PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @04:33PM (#669151)

            Yes, I do get it: Objectively, the bureaucracy worked well to solve a problem, but a lot of people dogmatically believe that all bureaucracy sucks, and are experiencing cognitive dissonance as a result.

            While I admire your dogged persistence, some nuts are apparently too tough to crack. Just sayin'.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @05:54PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 19 2018, @05:54PM (#669185)

            What?? A private company didn’t do all of the creation of how to deal with an emergency? We must quickly call Fox News so they can fix this. Calm down. Dynamic duo Hannity and Carlson to the rescue!!!!

            • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday April 19 2018, @06:12PM

              by bob_super (1357) on Thursday April 19 2018, @06:12PM (#669199)

              "You didn't land that [alone]"