Meanwhile, over Denver

23 February 2021, 04:23 PM

pianojuggler

quote:
After the initial investigation, Sumwalt says that the NTSB is currently not defining the incident as an uncontained engine failure.

“We, according to our strictest definition, do not consider this to be an uncontained engine failure. For the public it doesn’t matter. It was still an event that we don’t like to see,” he says.

https://www.flightglobal.com/s...tigue/142556.article

Sumwalt said that one blade was lodged in the containment ring and the other was ejected aft, as they are designed to do. Not sure which -- the whole or the half -- went which way. A piece of a blade was found in the soccer field.

23 February 2021, 04:24 PM

wtg

quote:
Originally posted by pianojuggler:
I’m feeling like Doug in here.

(oh, and I've been following your posts all along....)

--------------------------------
We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

23 February 2021, 05:17 PM

pianojuggler

C'mon, y'all... ask some questions.

I have guesses I haven't used yet.

23 February 2021, 06:58 PM

wtg

So what happens from here? What happened to the engine will clearly be investigated. What about the missing cowling and the other damage to the plane?

23 February 2021, 10:53 PM

pianojuggler

Some of the missing cowling remains a mystery. In other events on PW4000s and other engine types, the inlet has come off or the cowl around the fan has come off. The thrust reverser (where the fire is seen in the video out the window) looks more like it burned through rather than departed.

As the Honorable Mr. Sumwalt mentioned, how the fire continued for so long is also a question that needs to be investigated.

The damage on the lower fuselage looks like something large hit it. Possibly the inlet lip (the big round thing). Not a fan blade. Air moves in strange ways around wings, so I can see some piece of the engine nacelle coming off and striking the body as it departed.

The inlet lip is aluminum. Most of the rest of the cowling is composite. That’s why I’m guessing it’s the lip that hit the fuselage and wing root. Likewise, much of the part that’s damaged down there is also composite.

Typical high-bypass airplane engine and its cowling or nacelle:

The fuselage damage is minor, and not structural. The damaged parts can be replaced. The airplane is 26 years old, so it will be interesting to see if United decides to repair it or retire it.

23 February 2021, 11:12 PM

Steve Miller

Who is going to pay for the damage?

24 February 2021, 05:45 AM

CHAS

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:
Who is going to pay for the damage?

Read that the airline is telling people with damage to property to notify their insurance companies.

24 February 2021, 10:23 AM

pianojuggler

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:
Who is going to pay for the damage?

Dunno.

I can sorta see someone from the company showing up at that home with a flatbed truck and a couple beefy guys and knocking on the door and saying, "ummmm... that thing is ours... can we have it back?"