UAL 747 returns to Dulles (IAD) after engine problem

[bomarc]

No real details yet, plane landed safely...enroute to China...now we can have a huge discussion why they didn't proceed on three! ;-)

[Clarence Oveur]

now we can have a huge discussion why they didn't proceed on three! ;-)
No doubt led by some yoyo who believes his 146 experience is relevant.

Retirement must be such a bore.

[bomarc]

clarence:
it must be odd not having a sense of humor. tell us all about it.

pilots without a sense of humor...it must be a non USA thing.

Good job United for landing in an uneventful manner. reports do indicate that brush on the side of the runway caught on fire during the plane's takeoff.

a close look at images show possible, I SAY AGAIN POSSIBLE, soot/smoke near the number two engine's associated trailing edge flap.

[barit1]

...brush on the side of the runway caught on fire during the plane's takeoff.

Sounds rather more exciting than the BA event in Feb 2005 - perchance an uncontained failure for UAL.

Waiting for more detail... :bored:

[SeniorDispatcher]

In this thread, they mention that the aircraft is supposed to do a 3-engine MX ferry IAD-SFO Saturday...

FWIW....

http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/3425892/

[barit1]

When an engine fails away from main base, the incentive is to get the plane back in service ASAP. There are many factors influencing the decision to OEI ferry:

The degree of damage beyond a simple engine change

Availability of a hangar bay at main base

Time and cost to transport a spare engine

A few more that will come to me right after I post this... :*

[arcniz]

One used to see PanAm 4-bangers in the Pacific with an extra pylon fitted - to ferry engine spares.

5-pod picture (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/240514)

[EGBE0523]

Ignoring the fact that the previous poster quotes that the glorious Pan Am ferried engines about on a 5th pod but in his/her link shows a Trans World a/c can I just say that this is nothing new as I flew on a Kuwait Airways 707 from LHR to KWI via FCO with a 5th pod on many moons ago.
Also flew PER - SYD on a QF 747 which had suffered an engine failure on take off the previous day and was ferrying the duff engine back to SYD, All the commercial SLF had been reprotected on other flights so left about 20 of us on a 747..bliss.