Photo by Edu Perez
Recently there have been engine malfunctions and failures on Boeing 777 planes. What will happen next to these planes? Will their engines have to be re-evaluated?
On Tuesday, Feb. 23rd, a video taken by a passenger went viral of a Boeing 777’s wing engine falling apart and ablaze in mid-air, after leaving the Denver International Airport. Parts from the plane including the fan cowling and engine cowling were missing. Some of the parts fell off the engine in mid-air that landed in front of yards of many individuals.
In many of these incidents, the containment ring has fallen off of the engine. The engine in itself is hollow, which makes it hard for engineers to dissect and evaluate the deficiencies of the engine. Once the containment ring falls off, the engine’s interiors become vulnerable to deterioration and will completely shut down and fall apart. The containment ring keeps the cowlings warm, which is being heated by the engine fire.
Metal fatigue is the main contributor to engine failure which ultimately led to the engine catching on fire and break down. “With the engines being made in the ’80s and out of titanium, along with their being multiple incidents of engine failures, these engines should be inspected,” Dr. Maria Magrakvelidze, physics professor, said. There have been multiple incidents of engine failures on Boeing 777 planes. The structure of a lot of these Boeing 777’s engines is deficient to today’s standards.
Photo by aapsky
The plane was still able to land safely due to the fact that there are two engines on the plane. “The pressure difference on the wings is enough to keep the plane without the engine upright enough to fly,” Dr. Magrakvelidze, said. Now it’s not like a human kidney where one can survive without one. As soon as, the Boeing 777 from the video landed they could not fly the plane again after one of the engines fell apart. The video that was taken by the passengers showed that the engine was on fire and that multiple parts had fallen off of the engine.
From the evaluation of the plane, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that fan blades were fractured, and the inlet and cowling were separated from the engine. Boeing has no further word as of right now on whether they will start recalling 777’s and potentially grounding them. American Airlines have 67 Boeing 777’s that are used for commercial air travel. While there have been 3 incidents of engine failure in their airline’s history, American Airlines has discussed potentially grounding all 777’s in their airlines until this recent engine issue is resolved.
With there already being a lack of air travel due to COVID-19, people may feel uncomfortable flying in a 777 due to the recent news of its engine failure. “I personally would not feel comfortable flying on a Boeing 777 at this moment, what if that happens again?” Alex Burns, Air Force JROTC, said. Pratt and Whitney, the manufacturers of the engine, has had other incidents including one of their engines failing on a Dutch plane. In December of 2020, two Pratt and Whitney blades broke off of a Japanese 777. So there are many questions marks about how Pratt and Whitney manufacture plane engines and why do these incidents keep occurring with their engines. American Airlines, Boeing and Pratt Whitney are very fortunate that there were no casualties from the fallen parts of the engine.
