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Boeing 777 Engine Falls Apart Over Denver

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This Saturday, a United Airlines flight experienced a severe engine failure shortly after taking off from Denver International Airport. The aircraft was performing flight UA328, a daily scheduled flight from Denver to Honolulu when the accident happened. The aircraft involved was a 26-year-old Boeing 777-200 registered as N772UA; it was the fifth Boeing 777 that had ever been produced. 

Brief Explanation

Four minutes after taking off from Denver, the pilots of flight 328 declared an engine failure and requested a turn back to the airport. The right engine of the plane had exploded at an altitude of 13,000 feet in the sky, and debris from the engine showered into the suburbs of Denver. Passengers onboard described that the aircraft was vibrating rapidly before they heard a loud boom and the engine exploded. The engine was filled with flames, and the failure was uncontained, meaning that parts of the engine were being stripped off as the aircraft was flying. The pilots did not choose to dump fuel after the failure and proceeded to land with all the extra weight from the fuel. Several minutes later, flight 328 managed to land safely back at Denver. None of the 241 people on board were injured.

Dozens of Boeing 777 aircraft grounded after United Airlines engine failure  | Financial Times
Credit: Hayden Smith

Ground Perspective

During the time of the accident, several residents in the suburbs of Denver reported seeing metal scraps crashing from the sky. Multiple calls were made to the police department regarding this occurrence. The debris from the engine fell across the town, scattering in multiple different locations. The cowling of the engine even crashed onto a resident’s truck and settled in the homeowner’s front yard. Bystanders who observed the plane from the ground recalled seeing black smoke trailing from the back of the engine. Fortunately, also no one on the ground was injured from the incident.

United Airlines 777 Engine Explodes, Sending Debris Raining Down From Sky
Credit: Broomfield Police

Investigation

Based on video recordings of the damaged engine from passengers of the plane and an inspection of the plane after it returned back to Denver, officials determined that the engine failure was caused by the fan blades of the type of engine. The type of engine used on the 777 involved in this incident was a Pratt and Whitney PW4000, an engine that contains hollow fan blades. According to investigations, one of the blades of the engine came loose during the flight and ruptured the engine, causing a rare uncontained engine failure. Uncontained failures are more dangerous than other engine failures since fragments are flung out from the engine in an uncontained failure, and those fragments could damage the plane itself. For example, an uncontained engine failure on a Southwest flight punctured a window of the plane and unfortunately killed a passenger in 2018. In this United accident, fragments of the engine did puncture the fuselage of the plane, but luckily not the cabins.

Credit: CBS News

Overall, it was astonishingly fortunate for this incident to play out the way it did. This event could have been much more catastrophic if things had occurred slightly differently. If the flight had experienced the failure over the Pacific Ocean, or if a piece of debris had punctured the main fuselage during the failure, the aftermath of this incident could have ended much differently. The results of this incident have prompted further safety investigations of Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with this particular engine. Since this is not the first time this incident has happened in the past, the FAA is conducting research into the safety of this particular type of aircraft. Several Boeing 777s with this type of engine have already been grounded and are soon going to be inspected by the FAA. This is similar to how the 737 MAX was grounded in 2019, but less severe. Since this is big news for the 777, we will cover this topic in detail in the next article, but for right now, it is great news that everyone involved in this incident was safe and without injury.


Sources:

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-airlines-grounds-boeing-777-denver-incident/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/02/22/united-flight-328-engine-failure-boeing-777-pratt-whitney-engine/4539623001/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/plane-engine-caught-fire-united-airlines-flight-over-denver-has-n1258557

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https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/united-777s-failed-pw4000-appears-uncontained-forward-cowling-missing/142520.article

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/opinions/united-328-boeing-pilot-airline-abend/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/20/us/united-airlines-flight-returns-debris/index.html

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Cover image credited to Chad Schnell

Air Crash

Two Colombian Air Force Pilots Die in Embraer Tucano Aircraft Collision

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Colombian Air Force
Image via Fuerza Aérea Colombiana on Twitter

The Colombian Air Force (FAC) is investigating a tragic accident that occurred during a training mission on Saturday, resulting in the loss of two pilots. Two Embraer T-27 Tucano aircraft collided mid-air and crashed during the exercise in central Colombia. The FAC has not released the identity of the second pilot, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.

Video footage of the accident has surfaced on Twitter, showing the aircraft bursting into flames before plummeting to the ground. The FAC confirmed the death of Lieutenant Colonel Mario Andrés Espinosa González, who was in command of one of the Tucano planes. He was scheduled to perform an aerobatic show at this year’s Aeronautical Fair in Rionegro, Antioquia.

Investigation into the Cause of the Collision

The FAC has sent an inspection commission to the crash site to investigate the cause of the accident. The air force expressed condolences to González’s family and colleagues, describing the incident as “unfortunate.”

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Preparing for the Aeronautical Fair

The pilots were likely training for the upcoming Aeronautical Fair, which will take place from July 12th to 16th. The FAC had planned to send a squadron of six aircraft, five pilots, a security officer, and five technicians to the event. The Brazilian-built Tucano aircraft have been part of the FAC’s fixed-wing military pilot training program for many years and have logged tens of thousands of safe flight hours.

The squadron was set to perform aerobatic shows ranging from 30 to 35 minutes at the Aeronautical Fair. The FAC had previously announced that the Tucano planes would perform highly complex maneuvers, including inverted flights, 360-degree turns, high-speed crossings, and rapid turns in promotion.

Colombian Air Force
Image via Fuerza Aérea Colombiana on Twitter

Final Words

The tragic incident has shocked the Colombian Air Force and the aviation community. The cause of the accident remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing. The loss of the two pilots is a reminder of the risks that military pilots face every day in their service to their country. Our thoughts and condolences go out to their families and colleagues during this difficult time.

Also, you might be interested in reading: Plane Crashes in Virginia After Pilot Passes Out

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Plane Crashes in Virginia After Pilot Passes Out

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A private jet crashed in a mountainous region in Virginia on June 4th, 2023 after flying over a restricted airspace in Washington D.C. There were no survivors among four people onboard the aircraft.

Details 

Credit: Wikipedia

The plane, a Cessna 560 Citation V, belonged to a company owned by multi-millionaire John Rumpel and was registered N611VG. Rumpel stated that the passengers onboard were his family members, including his daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter.

The aircraft took off at 1:15pm local time from Elizabethton, Tennessee and was en route to Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York when the air traffic controllers lost contact with the pilot. The pilot was unresponsive to calls from air traffic control 15 minutes after departure. 

Presumably on autopilot, the private jet flew over its destination at 34,000ft and turned around and started heading back to its origin in a straight line. 

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During its autopilot cruise back to Elizabethton, the aircraft entered restricted airspace over Washington D.C., which prompted government officials to scramble six F-16 fighters to intercept the aircraft. The F-16 fighters caused sonic booms on the way to intercept the private jet, which alerted many residents over the Washington D.C. area.

Upon reaching the ill-fated private jet, pilots from the F-16 fighter jets observed that the pilot of the private plane was passed out at the controls. The F-16s tried to alert the pilot by firing flares, but all attempts were futile. 

The private jet continued cruising towards its origin until it ran out of fuel and crashed into a rural, mountainous region in Virginia. 

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Credit: CNN News

Cause of the Crash

The FAA and NTSB are currently investigating the incident and have not provided an explanation for the crash; however, it is likely that the plane experienced a loss of cabin pressure shortly after takeoff, as evident by the unconscious state of the pilot. The people onboard would have experienced hypoxia from a lack of oxygen and would have been unaware of the entire event.


Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Virginia_plane_crash

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/us/virginia-plane-crash-fighter-jets-investigation-monday/index.html

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plane-crash-virginia-4-died-military-jet-sonic-boom-faa/

Cover Image: NBC News Washington

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Air Crash

INCIDENT: Two Airbus A330s Collide on Ground at Tokyo Haneda Airport

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Taipei Connections/MAINICHI/The Asahi Shimbun

On a fateful day at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, a serious incident occurred involving two Airbus A330 passenger jets. The Japanese transport ministry reported that the Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 (registration HS-TEO) and Eva Air Airbus A330-300 (registration B-16340) collided near a taxiway. The mishap took place as Thai flight #TG683, en route to Bangkok, taxied alongside Eva Air flight #BR189, bound for Taipei. Unfortunately, the incident occurred just before the planes were to line up on runway 16R at Tokyo-Haneda Airport.

The Thai Airways plane sustained noticeable damage, with its winglet appearing to be broken. Fragments from the collision were scattered near the runway, raising concerns about the severity of the impact. In response, authorities from the Tokyo airport office promptly dispatched officials to the scene to investigate the incident thoroughly.

Taipei Connections/MAINICHI/The Asahi Shimbun

To ensure the safety of all personnel involved and prevent further mishaps, the runway close to the accident site was temporarily closed. Such precautions are crucial in order to assess the situation accurately and prevent any potential hazards that may arise from the damaged aircraft.

As a result of this collision, flight operations at the airport were disrupted, causing delays for several domestic and international flights. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, two prominent airlines operating at Tokyo Haneda Airport, were among those affected by the incident.

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Taipei Connections/MAINICHI/The Asahi Shimbun

Safety remains the top priority, and investigations into the causes and circumstances surrounding the collision are expected to shed light on any lapses or oversights that may have contributed to this unfortunate event.

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