NV - British Airways 777 on fire in Las Vegas

[KEVINinTO]

Hopefully we should have answers before long on why the engine caught fire. Since all the parts of the plane are together, it would seem to be easier for the investigators to examine the engine. They would also be able to access the black boxes for further data.

A picture of the left engine shows that it had a catastrophic engine failure, i.e. a compressor disk and/or blade separated from a rotor sending shrapnel into the wing and possibility rupturing fuel lines in the process.

 

[bluesneakers]

:waitasec: Why were passengers taking time to reach into overhead bins to retrieve hand luggage during the emergency evacuation? Don't safety instruction cards indicate that passengers should not take anything with them during an evacuation? Yet many of the passengers came down the inflated chutes with roller bags and other hand baggage. Wouldn't flight attendants have advised passengers to exit as quickly as possible and WITHOUT luggage? What if the entire plane had been on fire or exploded during the evacuation process?

If I had been on that plane, my hand luggage would have been the last thing that I'd consider when my life was in danger!

I don't get it either, and if you're taking the time to do that aren't you holding up other people who are behind you waiting? I am at my most irritable waiting for people to get off a plane and if it were an emergency and someone banged me in the head with a wheelie bag I think I would lose my .... composure.

 

[watcher9]

A picture of the left engine shows that it had a catastrophic engine failure, i.e. a compressor disk and/or blade separated from a rotor sending shrapnel into the wing and possibility rupturing fuel lines in the process.

Could something like this happen in the air?
I am thinking of MH370 and the sighting by the man on the oil rig platform.

 

[stormshine]

Birdstrike, maybe?

 

[KEVINinTO]

Could something like this happen in the air?
I am thinking of MH370 and the sighting by the man on the oil rig platform.

Yes this could have easily happened in the air. Fortunately Un-contained catastrophic engine failures of this nature are extremely rare. The most famous incident involving such a failure was United Airlines flight 232 that crashed landed in Sioux City Iowa in 1969. The tail mounted engine disintegrated at cruising altitude taking out all the hydraulic controls. The pilots were left with only differential engine thrust to maneuver the aircraft. Although 111 passenger were killed in the crash landing - miraculously 189 passengers survived thanks to the incredible skill of Capt Al Haynes and his crew.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_232#Events_of_crash

Here is a picture of the ruptured fan-disk from the United Airlines crash. I suspect that when investigators of the BA crash take apart the damaged engine they will find something similar inside

 

[KEVINinTO]

Birdstrike, maybe?

I don't think so. These engines are designed to contain the aftermath of a bird strike. Also I don't see any tell-tale damage to the inlet fan blades.

 

[stormshine]

Yes this could have easily happened in the air. Fortunately Un-contained catastrophic engine failures of this nature are extremely rare. The most famous incident involving such a failure was United Airlines flight 232 that crashed landed in Sioux City Iowa in 1969. The tail mounted engine disintegrated at cruising altitude taking out all the hydraulic controls. The pilots were left with only differential engine thrust to maneuver the aircraft. Although 111 passenger were killed in the crash landing - miraculously 189 passengers survived thanks to the incredible skill of Capt Al Haynes and his crew.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_232#Events_of_crash

Here is a picture of the ruptured fan-disk from the United Airlines crash. I suspect that when investigators of the BA crash take apart the damaged engine they will find something similar inside

There's no way this was a fan blade. There would have been a LOT more damage. And the above poster is correct: all of the fan blades appeared intact. If a fan blade came out or broke there would be hardly anything left.

 

[KEVINinTO]

Initial NTSB findings confirm my observation of an uncontained catastrophic engine failure

Initial examination of the left engine revealed multiple breaches of the engine case in the area around the high pressure compressor.
Examination of the material recovered from runway found several pieces of the high pressure compressor spool (approximately 7-8 inches in length).

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20150910.aspx

From this cut-away you can see the location of the high-pressure compressor

 

[Ellmau]

The pilot was on his penultimate flight before retiring (and probably won't now fly again):

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/re...sh-airways-reading-pilot-penultimate-10020016

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-pilot-chris-henkey-charge-10031637

 

[watcher9]

Video taken from inside the plane is shown on this article.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/re...gripping-footage-shows-reading-pilot-10033042

 

[watcher9]

Another British Airways 777 had an emergency landing today after engine caught fire.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nway-landing-Heathrow-airport-Washington.html

ETA - WS thread
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...s-777-engine-fire-emergency-landing-in-London