{"id":186682,"date":"2021-02-23T13:33:54","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T10:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/metal-fatigue-suspected-in-united-airlines-engine-scare\/"},"modified":"2021-02-23T13:33:54","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T10:33:54","slug":"metal-fatigue-suspected-in-united-airlines-engine-scare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/metal-fatigue-suspected-in-united-airlines-engine-scare\/","title":{"rendered":"#Metal fatigue suspected in United Airlines engine scare"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Metal fatigue suspected in United Airlines engine scare<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"Debris
\n Debris from the failed engine of a United Airlines airplane in the Denver suburb of Broomfield
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Metal fatigue has emerged as chief suspect in last week’s spectacular engine failure on a United Airlines plane, which scattered debris over suburban Denver and led to dozens of Boeing 777 aircraft being grounded worldwide.<\/p>\n

The incident on the Hawaii-bound flight\u2014which quickly returned to the airport after part of the engine caught fire and broke off\u2014prompted United and other airlines to ground planes with the same Pratt & Whitney engine.<\/p>\n

While no one was injured in the Denver incident, the episode is the latest setback for Boeing, which only recently resumed deliveries of the long-grounded 737 MAX following two fatal crashes of that plane.<\/p>\n

“A preliminary on-scene exam indicates damage consistent with metal fatigue,” Robert Sumwalt, chair of the US National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), told a briefing Monday.<\/p>\n

He said two fan blades fractured on the number 2 engine on the Boeing 777-200. One of them was later found on a soccer field, while the other remained lodged in the engine.<\/p>\n

Boeing said all 128 of the 777s with Pratt & Whitney engines were grounded following Saturday’s emergency landing of United flight 328.<\/p>\n

Of the 128 planes, only 69 were in service while 59 were in storage.<\/p>\n

Besides United, which removed 24 planes from service, affected airlines included Japanese carriers Japan Airlines and All Nippon, and South Korea’s Asiana and Korean Air.<\/p>\n

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapp<\/a>s announced a temporary ban on jets with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 series<\/a> engines from entering UK airspace.<\/p>\n

Aviation experts said the incident especially raised questions about Pratt & Whitney and United over engine maintenance.<\/p>\n

“It’s nothing like the MAX,” said Teal Group aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia. “After all these years of service it is unlikely to be a design issue with the engine, certainly it is something to do with maintenance.”<\/p>\n

The Denver incident followed a Japan Airlines 777 incident in December involving the same type of engine, as well as an engine problem in February 2018 on a United flight.<\/p>\n

“There might be a common theme” among the three incidents “but until the investigation is complete, we don’t know that,” said Scott Hamilton of Leeham News<\/a>, an aviation news site.<\/p>\n

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\"There
\n There were no injuries on the plane or on the ground
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Engine on fire<\/b>
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A video shot from inside the United aircraft\u2014which had 231 passengers and 10 crew on board\u2014showed the right engine ablaze and wobbling on the wing.<\/p>\n

Residents in the Denver suburb of Broomfield found large pieces of debris from the plane scattered around their community.<\/p>\n

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered extra inspections after the incident.<\/p>\n

FAA chief Steve Dickson said a preliminary safety data review pointed to a need for additional checks of the fan blades, unique to the model and only used on 777 planes.<\/p>\n

FAA officials met Pratt & Whitney and Boeing representatives Sunday evening, he added.<\/p>\n

Pratt & Whitney said it was cooperating with the NTSB probe and “will continue to work to ensure the safe operation of the fleet.”<\/p>\n

United said it was removing the aircraft from its schedule, “and will continue to work closely with regulators to determine any additional steps.”<\/p>\n

Navigating industry downturn<\/b><\/p>\n

The engine failure is unwelcome news for Boeing, which also faces a fresh investigation in the Netherlands after a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane showered a small town with debris, injuring two people, on the same day as the Denver incident.<\/p>\n

Boeing only recently resumed deliveries of the 737 MAX following a 20-month global grounding after two crashes killed 346 people.<\/p>\n

The MAX began returning to commercial service in late 2020, with airline travel<\/a> still depressed due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

Michel Merluzeau, an expert at consultancy AIR, agreed the latest problem did not appear to result from poor plane design.<\/p>\n

“It’s not really a problem for Boeing,” he said. “It’s more an issue of maintenance\u2014how United or Pratt & Whitney is maintaining engines that have been in use for a while.”\n <\/p>\n\n

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Boeing grounds 777s after engine fire in Colorado\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2021 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Metal fatigue suspected in United Airlines engine scare (2021, February 23)
\n retrieved 23 February 2021
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2021-02-metal-fatigue-airlines.html<\/p>\n

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