Plane manufacturer Boeing has advised restricting all 777 aircraft due to engine failure. All the same kind of engine that suffered failure and shed rubble over Denver on Saturday are advised the same.
An amount of 128 such aircraft is cancelled until a proper inspection is carried out.
In addition to that, Japan’s two operators and United Airlines have already stopped using 56 aeroplanes. These 56 aircraft shared the same type of engine.
Carrying 231 passengers, flight 238 had to make a deliberate emergency landing at Denver Airport. None of the flight’s passenger was injured.
Although there is an investigation ongoing, the company still has decided to restrict the 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777 aircraft. The aircraft were powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000- 112 engines. This came as a statement on the aircraft from the company.
While Pratt & Whitney said it had dispatched a team to work on it with the investigators.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, United is the only airline flying the 777 models. Among the others are airlines from Jaan and South Korea.
Korean Air has six planes in operation and an additional ten in storage. It said it was awaiting instructions concerning any measures for its 777 jets from the South Korean regulatory authorities.
Infrequent but critical incident
United flight suffered a failure in its right-hand engine that was bound to Honolulu. Its ruins were discovered scattered over a nearby living area after it reverted to Denver airport.
Following the incident, the agency has decreed extra examinations of the Boeing 777 jets fitted with the Pratt & Whitney 4000 engines. The FAA administrator Steve Dickenson stated that they have reviewed all available safety data following the Saturday incident.
They have concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow blades based on the initial information. The fan blades are unique to the model and are solely used in the Boeing 777 aircraft.
On Sunday evening, he FAA met representatives from the Boeing and engine firm.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ‘s initial finding is that most of the damage was in the right engine. There the two fan blades were fractured, and other blades also impacted. However, the main body of the aeroplane suffered minor damage.
The engine failure is another blow for Boeing after its 737 Max aircraft was grounded for 18 months. The aircraft was restricted following two aviation accidents. The accidents, leading to the death of 346 people.
Aircraft engine failures are infrequent. Uncontained failures where debris can erupt from the engine in any direction are mercifully sporadic indeed. But in contrast, an uncontained failure is also threatening.
Experts in the field say that the Denver incident’s failure appears to have been uncontained. But the destruction to the aircraft itself was thankfully trivial.