Flights on Boeing 777s suspended: what's going on?
The Denver incident resulted in a drastic decision: the suspension of all scheduled flights with the Boeing [...]
United Airlines
The Denver incident resulted in a drastic decision: the suspension of all flights scheduled with the Boeing 777 who mount Pw 4000 motors.
In this article:
But what happened and why was such a decision reached? Let's go over the story together.
Boeing 777, United Airlines crash.
The incident occurred in the skies over Colorado. The flight 328 of the United Airlines, bound for Honolulu, began losing engine parts (Pratt&Whitney model PW4000-112) soon after takeoff. A real scare for the flight crew and the 231 passengers who were on board the Boeing 777. Fortunately, the pilots were able to raise the alarm and return to Denver. And it was very fortunate that no one was killed, even on the ground. In fact, even very large pieces of debris were found in the yards of homes and houses, which could have caused a real massacre.
There are five airlines in the world that have Boeing 777s with that engine in their fleet. The United Airlines decided to leave its temporarily grounded (as many as 24), and the Japanese aviation authority asked to do the same to Japan Airlines (JAL) and to All Nippon Airways (ANA) which, in total, of Boeing 777s with Pratt&Whitney PW4000-112 engines have 32. South Korea, on the other hand, has decided to monitor the situation without making any such decisions.
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After all, the Denver incident was not an isolated incident. Last December 4, a Boeing 777 of Japan Airlines, departed Tokyo Haneda and headed to Naha (Okinawa), had experienced a similar event. The engine cover had detached, releasing the turbojets and forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing.
Miracle at #Denver: one of the engines of a Boeing 777 from the @UnitedAirlines implodes shortly after takeoff. As the wreckage plummets over a built-up area, the pilots manage to reverse course, manage the damage, and land. All passengers are unharmed. pic.twitter.com/IFg4rc7Da8
- Rassegnally (@rassegnally) February 20, 2021
What will happen now?
The affected 777-200s and 777-300s are "older" and less efficient models than those used by most operators, including British Airways, whose 59 Boeing 777s do not mount Pratt & Whitney engines.
Fifty-nine of the "indicted" planes are grounded due to the drop in flights due to the Coronavirus, 69 are still in service. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration immediately issued an emergency directive requesting. immediate inspections to 777s similar to the one involved in the Denver crash. In fact, an initial examination of the engine showed the breakage of two blades and the records of the flight data are now at a Washington laboratory for analysis.
In addition to the Denver and Tokyo incidents, moreover, a Pratt&Whitney engine smaller than the PW4000-112 also showed signs of failure on a plane bound from Maastricht, Netherlands, to New York, forcing pilots to land in Liege. According to witnesses, the engine caught fire and lost parts over the town of Meerssen, damaging cars and slightly injuring a woman.
Pratt & Whitney, owned by Raytheon Technologies, said it is actively coordinating with operators and regulators to support inspections of its engines.
Boeing 777 rains engine parts on Colorado city: no injuries.https://t.co/ek8vPuJwMs
- FlyEurope.TV (@FlyEuropeTV) February 22, 2021
