Boeing had been trying to strengthen 777 engine covers for two YEARS before fan blade snapped off United Airlines flight and broke through the casing leaving debris scattered over Denver suburbs
- Aerospace giant was said to be working with the FAA to strengthen the covers
- Investigators have attributed Saturday's incident in Denver to a fan blade that broke off due to metal fatigue and apparently breached the engine cover
- The planemaker and the FAA had been discussing potential fixes for about two years, following an earlier incident in 2018, according to the Wall Street Journal
- On Tuesday night, the FAA ordered inspections of all Pratt & Whitney engines
- Although immediate attention has focused on the engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, Reuters has reported that its casing is manufactured by Boeing
- Both Boeing and the FAA avoided discussing specifics on the efforts to modify the 777; such changes typically require significant evaluation and testingBoeing had been working to strengthen engine covers on the 777 for two years before the United Airlines flight last weekend where a cowling broke apart over Denver, according to a report Thursday.
The aerospace giant was working with the Federal Aviation Administration to strengthen protective engine covers following similar problems on earlier flights preceding Saturday's emergency landing, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Investigators have attributed Saturday's mid-air incident in Denver to a fan blade that broke off soon after takeoff due to metal fatigue and apparently breached the engine cowling.
An internal FAA document reads: 'Boeing has decided to redesign the fan cowl instead of trying to modify existing fan cowls to address both the structural strength concerns.'
The United Airline jet's engine caught fire and began breaking apart. No one was hurt in the incident, but the episode raised questions about maintenance on the jets. Broken fan blades should be contained by engines and their protective covers.
The planemaker and the FAA had been discussing potential fixes for about two years, following an earlier incident in 2018, according to the Journal.
On Tuesday night, the FAA ordered inspections of all Pratt & Whitney engines similar to the one that broke apart. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.
Although immediate attention has focused on the engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, Reuters has reported that its cowling is manufactured by Boeing.
Both Boeing and the FAA avoided discussing specifics on the efforts to modify the 777. Such changes typically require significant evaluation and testing.
Boeing had been working to strengthen engine covers on the 777 for about two years before last weekend's scare, pictured, on a United Airlines flight, according to a report Thursday
Boeing was working with the Federal Aviation Administration to strengthen protective engine covers following similar problems on earlier flights preceding Saturday's emergency landing, the Wall Street Journal reported
The damaged-blade theory is reminiscent of a 2018 disaster on board a Southwest Airlines flight, when a broken fan blade triggered an explosion that smashed a window, killing a woman who was blown outside.
The same year, another United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered an engine failure that caused parts of the housing to break off and fall into the Pacific Ocean as the plane flew from San Francisco to Honolulu.
In December last year, a Japan Airlines Boeing 777 with the same Pratt & Whitney engines suffered fan blade damage and lost a large panel.
Boeing's reputation was battered by two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving its 737 MAX aircraft.
The damaged starboard engine of United Airlines flight 328, a Boeing 777-200, is seen following a February 20 engine failure incident, in a hangar at Denver International Airport
Investigators have attributed the Denver incident to a fan blade that broke off soon after takeoff due to metal fatigue and apparently breached the engine cover, known as a cowling
A spokesman for Boeing said it is 'in constant communication with our customers and the FAA, and engaged in ongoing efforts to introduce safety and performance improvements across the fleet'.
They added: 'We will continue to follow the guidance of the FAA on this issue and all matters related to safety and compliance, and we continue to provide updates to our customers.'
The FAA said it focused on fan blade inspections in its most recent order on the Pratt & Whitney engines and on an earlier directive after a 2018 incident on a 777.
'Redesigning airframe and engine components is a complex process. One of the top priorities to date has been reducing the risk of a fan-blade failure that could lead to cowling damage,' an FAA spokesman said.
'The FAA engages with manufacturers to continuously enhance safety. Any proposed design change to a critical piece of structure must be carefully evaluated and tested to ensure it provides an equivalent or improved level of safety and does not introduce unintended risks.'
The inspections affect older 777s fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. Newer models, mainly powered by rival General Electric engines, are not affected.
Although immediate attention has focused on the engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, Reuters has reported that its cowling, or casing, is manufactured by Boeing
United Airlines flight UA328, carrying 231 passengers and 10 crew on board, returns to Denver International Airport with its starboard engine on fire after it called a Mayday alert, over Denver, Colorado, on Saturday
National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt said during a virtual press conference Monday there was a 'loud bang' and vibrations coming from the right engine of United Flight 328 about two minutes after take-off from Denver International Airport on Saturday.
With the plane at around 12,000 feet, Sumwalt said two blades of its Pratt & Whitney engine suddenly broke - with one fracturing at the base where it meets the hub, and the second snapping off mid-way.
The first blade caused 'overload' damage to the second blade, Sumwalt said. One of those blades was later found in a soccer field, and the other remained lodged in the engine.
According to the NTSB, a preliminary on-scene exam of the engine indicates 'damage consistent with metal fatigue.'
Pictures of the aircraft in a hangar at Denver International Airport yesterday show the damage to the starboard engine up close.
Damage to the wing and the body fairing of the Boeing 777-200 is also visible, suggesting some of the engine debris struck the plane itself.
Parts of the debris from the United Airlines flight 328 in Broomfield, Colorado
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday ordered immediate inspections of 777s with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines before further flights, after an engine failed on a United Airlines 777 on Saturday
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Saturday´s United flight, which returned to Denver soon after disembarking after the engine caught fire and began breaking apart
The fallout from Saturday's incident has led to 69 in-service planes and another 59 in storage being grounded in the US, Japan and South Korea, the only countries with planes using this particular engine.
United Airlines, the only US carrier with affected planes, said it grounded 24 Boeing 777s and 28 others will remain parked.
Investigators will also look at why the cowling, which covers the front of the engine, broke off, and also why there fire a fire despite indications fuel to the engine had been turned off, in keeping with safety protocol.
United Flight 328 was heading to Honolulu on Saturday from Denver International Airport when the plane's right engine blew shortly after takeoff, causing it to erupt into flames.
The captain had been giving an announcement over the intercom when a large explosion rocked the cabin, accompanied by a bright flash. Passengers recalled their horror as they looked out the window to see engine casing and chunks of fiberglass falling from the plane, and thick black smoke emanating from the wing.
The incident forced the pilot to pull off an emergency landing back in Denver just 20 minutes after take-off, at around 1.30pm local time.
Video recorded aboard Flight UA328 captured the moment it touched back down on the runway safely, prompting the cabin to erupt in applause and cheers of relief.
Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Raytheon, is one of the major players in the aircraft-engine market along with Boston-based General Electric and Britain's Rolls-Royce.
TROUBLED HISTORY OF THE 'TRIPLE SEVEN': A TIMELINE OF BOEING 777'S WORST ACCIDENTS
Since the American-made Boeing 777 wide-body jet airliner made its maiden flight in June 1994, it has been involved in 29 aviation incidents and accidents that have claimed the lives of 541 people.
Of these, three were hijackings while eight involved hull losses - or ‘total loss’ of the aircraft.
Five of the hull losses were in-flight while three were on-ground incidents.
British Airways Flight 38 - January 17, 2008
Crash investigators inspect wreckage and debris from grounded British Airways Flight 38 at Heathrow Airport on January 18, 2008
A British Airways plane crash-landed at Heathrow Airport, slightly injuring 47 passengers and triggering an inquiry into why the Boeing 777 flying in from Beijing landed short of the runway.
Fire engines smothered the aircraft in foam after the landing at the world’s busiest international airport extensively damaged its wings and ripped off its undercarriage.
Aviation commentators said the fact that the plane only just cleared the perimeter fence, hit the ground well short of the runway and then slid to a halt pointed to a massive loss of power in the final stages of landing.
The wheels of the plane, which had a routine maintenance check just a month prior, were still in the field where it crashed, several hundred yards from the runway.
There were no fatalities.
EgyptAir Flight 667 - July 29, 2011
The image above shows damage on the nose section of EgyptAir Flight 667 in Cairo after a fire tore through the cockpit before it was set to depart for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in July 2011
An EgyptAir Boeing 777-200 was evacuated at Cairo International Airport after a fire started in the cockpit while preparing to depart.
All 307 passengers survived but the fire, thought to have been started by an electrical fault, damaged the plane beyond repair.
Seven people were treated for smoke inhalation. The flight was destined to land in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 - July 6, 2013
The wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 lies on the ground after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco in this July 6, 2013 aerial photo
Two teenage girls were killed and more than 180 people were injured when a flight operated by South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines crashed while landing at San Francisco airport.
Two passengers who were not wearing seatbelts were ejected from the aircraft during the crash and were killed.
The Boeing 777, which was carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew, was flown from Seoul to San Francisco.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board faulted the pilots and crew for relying too much on automated systems and for incorrectly flying the plane during landing.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 - March 8, 2014
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 became one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries when it vanished on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
The Boeing 777-200ER went missing with 239 people on board. Malaysia, China, and Australia called off a two-year $130million underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean in January 2017 after finding no trace of the aircraft.
A second three-month search, led by Ocean Infinity, ended similarly in May the following year.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 - July 17, 2014
Recovery workers in rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine load debris from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in November 2014 - four months after the plane was shot down
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels amid fighting in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 aboard. Russia has denied any involvement.
A Dutch-led international Joint Investigation (JIT) team spent years collecting evidence before issuing arrest warrants in 2019 for the four suspects: Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.
A hearing on the merits of the trial is scheduled to start this month.
British Airways Flight 2276 - September 8, 2015
The image above from September 2015 shows a British Airways Boeing 777 airliner burst into flames on the runway at Las Vegas McCarran Airport
A British Airways jetliner engine caught fire in Las Vegas as the plane was about to take off for London, forcing all 172 passengers and crew to escape down emergency slides as smoke and flames engulfed the aircraft.
Several passengers needed hospital treatment for minor injuries after the Boeing 777's aborted takeoff, with one of those present saying smoke caused people to rush to the front of the plane, sparking scenes of panic.
Singapore Airlines Flight 368 - June 26, 2016
A Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) flight to Milan caught fire after returning to Singapore’s Changi airport following an engine oil warning message, but all passengers were safe.
The aircraft’s right engine caught fire after the aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, touched down at Changi airport at around 6:50am on June 26, 2016. Emergency services put out the fire and there were no injuries to the 222 passengers and 19 crew on board.
The SIA flight, SQ368, departed at 2:05am, but about two hours into the flight the pilot announced there was an engine problem and the flight would return to Singapore.
Emirates Flight 521 - August 3, 2016
The image above shows Emirates Flight 521 after it crashed while attempting to abort a landing in Dubai after flying in from India in August 2016
An Emirates passenger jet crashed while attempting to abort a landing in Dubai
All 300 passengers and crew were safely evacuated but a firefighter died tackling flames after the Boeing 777-300, arriving from India, caught fire after skidding along the Dubai airport runway on its fuselage.
It was the first major accident in Emirates’ more-than-30-year history.
All 300 passengers and crew safely evacuated the jet but a firefighter died tackling flames after the Boeing 777-300, arriving from India, caught fire after skidding along the Dubai airport runway on its fuselage.
Investigators said the pilot failed to notice that the Boeing 777's engine thrust settings remained too low and cut short a procedure.
Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane on the ground in Shanghai - July 22, 2020
Terrifying footage has captured the moment a Boeing 777 engulfed by a huge blaze and smoke at an airport in China. The Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane caught fire at around 4pm on July 22, 2020
A Boeing 777 plane burst into flames today in front of shocked passengers while being parked in one of the busiest airports in China.
The cargo plane belonging to Ethiopian Airlines caught fire at around 4pm local time on the tarmac of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to authorities.
The fire was put off about an hour later, said the local authorities. No injuries or deaths were reported.
Shocking footage shows smoke and flames engulfing the Boeing 777 while several emergency vehicles were rushing towards the burning aircraft.
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