Originally Posted by
Matt48
Just a thought, would the crew of QF144 be to start the APU mid flight, about 2hrs out of Auckland, or would it be too cold soaked.
One of the things that grew out of ETOPS was a requirement for the APU to reliably start after an extended cold soak. I believe starting the APU after an engine failure during ETOPS is SOP.
Now, nothing is 100%. but the chance that the APU wouldn't start is quite small.
Originally Posted by
43Inches
So QF144 is getting an ATSB investigation for an engine failure because it featured in the news. But the other 8 or so group failures in a few months are nowhere to be found. Seems like it has to make the news in a sensational way to get looked at....
We didn't necessarily get the local authorities involved, but pretty much every IFSD is investigated to determine the cause and take corrective action if appropriate. This is generally headed up by the engine manufacturer, with airframer and operator involvement as needed. If an operator has a rash of shutdowns it's in their best interest to understand what is going on - e.g. is there a systemic problem or was it was basically 'bad luck' (a statistical fluke). Shutdown rates are tracked for individual operators, and if it gets too high they can lose their ETOPS ticket.
Originally Posted by
43Inches
Due to the gliding range on large jets the few double engine failures have resulted in reasonable results, from the Gimli Glider to the Hudson event and more appropriately Air Transat 236 which glided onto an island in the Azores. All with no loss of life. The main point is that if it's still controllable and you keep your cool, gliding a large jet into a safe place is achievable. After all the space shuttle glided every landing and that was a controlled brick.
A dual engine power loss at cruise gives you roughly 100 miles of gliding range - is there is a suitable place to land within that radius you have a pretty good shot at a good outcome. Obviously if your further than that (e.g. ETOPS) things can go south pretty fast.
Originally Posted by
43Inches
TACA flight 110 in the 1980s landed on a grass levee after a double engine failure. The crew did so well Boeing only changed the engines and flew the 737 out off a nearby road (which in part used to be a ww2 strip).
Being a bit anal here, but actually they only had to change out one engine - they inspected the other engine and it was found to be serviceable.