JetBlue engine fire before TO in Puerto Rico

[AccidentalTourist]

Am surprised there isn't a thread already. Any news on cause? Engine mfr?:confused:

[lomapaseo]

Nor much detail technical yet (just passenger reports)

Passengers head for NYC after emergency JetBlue evacuation in Puerto Rico | 7online.com (http://7online.com/news/jet-blue-flight-headed-to-jfk-from-san-juan-evacuated/250627/)

[TFlyguy]

Very surprised to see the L2 door open when the left engine was on fire!

[skidbuggy]

Pictures of the damage here:

https://twitter.com/PRPlanespotters

I hope it turns out for the best with the crew.

[givemewings]

Very surprised to see the L2 door open when the left engine was on fire!I'm not. Video shows fire crew at the aircraft, one would assume they gave the crew an indication that it was safe to use that door (or indeed, the flight crew did, after communicating with them)

Crew are trained on what to look for from firefighters with regard to this...

[Sqwak7700]

These A321s are brand new with JetBlue, that sucks.

Heard the 321 is a bit of a dog with both fans turning. Puerto Rico, in the summer, on a semi-long flight, with a full load. That would have been a fun one to take into the air with one donkey.

Any 321 drivers can give insight in the type of performance you can expect OEI with those sorts of conditions?

Glad everyone made it out ok (well, for the most part).

:D

[lomapaseo]

I'm not. Video shows fire crew at the aircraft, one would assume they gave the crew an indication that it was safe to use that door (or indeed, the flight crew did, after communicating with them)

Crew are trained on what to look for from firefighters with regard to this...

True about crew training, but sometimes the issue is the passengers self evacuating.

[glendalegoon]

there are some photos on national tv that seem to illuminate the water/foam the firetrucks are using making it APPEAR that it is the flame from the engine which it is not.

iomapaeso is right about self evacuation...a dangerous thing.

[west lakes]

lomapaeso is right about self evacuation...a dangerous thing.

Quite so, looks like some opened the wrong exit!

"People started screaming, and people were trying to bust open the emergency exit with their arms. The flight attendants came and held everybody back,"

[glendalegoon]

This whole shebang is interesting to me , but in the wrong way.

LET US SAY an engine started spewing flames from the rear of the engine.

IT IS AT NIGHT, very scary to the passengers who can see it.

BUT THE PILOTS may only have an indirect understanding of what is happening like engine vibration (due to bird strike on fan), higher EGT
or even the tower calling them on the radio or a flight attendant yelling over the intercom/interphone.


So, you shut off the fuel to the engine (and do the checklists). You call for CFR over the radio.

BUT YOU REALLY SHOULD NOT EVACUATE into the engine!

YOU MIGHT consider you have torching and not a true fire as the nacelle detectors do not show a fire if it is coming out the rear of the engine (where hot gas is a normal thing)

AS you all know, shooting a fire bottle in the engine nacelle will not put out torching and the need to (depending on the time/situation) motor, or cut fuel or other things should come first.

SO, maybe they should NOT have evacuated. AND certainly not on the "FIRE" side.

MANY questions here. HOPE we hear the truth someday.


I still remember watching the following happen at KDCA.

Competitor's MD80 pushes back and starts engines. TOWER SAYS FLAMES COMEING OUT rear of engine.

PLANE acknowledges

MECHANIC is on FREQ YELLING at pilots to NOT SHOOT THE BOTTLES.

THEY SHOOT BOTH BOTTLES and I can see the nacelle expand with each shot.

BUT they do nothing as the problem is torching (or jet pipe fire if you are british) and they finally (as the fuel is shut off) go out.

Be careful boys!

[C_Star]

Where I currently work, the SOP is NOT to specify the direction of evac. It's up to the Cabin Crew to assess whether a particular exit is safe to use or not...

The CC are 'on spot' for every exit, while the pilots sit up to 200 ft forward, so IMHO the CC are better suited to decide.

PLUS, while specifying direction, there's an added potential for left/right-hand confusion eg. for aft-facing CC's

[lomapaseo]

Where I currently work, the SOP is NOT to specify the direction of evac. It's up to the Cabin Crew to assess whether a particular exit is safe to use or not...

The CC are 'on spot' for every exit, while the pilots sit up to 200 ft forward, so IMHO the CC are better suited to decide.

PLUS, while specifying direction, there's an added potential for left/right-hand confusion eg. for aft-facing CC's

Just to add

CC need a little help from up front knowing if an engine is running or has been shutdown on a side (in some cases)

Also I doubt there is much confusion between left or right when the CC talk about L1 vs L3 no matter which way they are facing. But as always there is increased opportunity for confusion between CC and passengers in the event of a fire.

[AKAAB]

JetBlue trains the flightcrews to not indicate a direction for evacuation. This was a change from how we were initially trained with the explanation that the FAs were taught to assess the risk before they opened a door. I agree that the FAs at the exit right in front of the engine can't assess fire out the tailpipe and can't tell if an engine is running or not. We do what we're told...

Speculation was that they ingested an iguana. This would make a great story, but I was speaking with a colleage in Tech Ops this morning and he says IAE confirmed it was a bird ingestion.

[glendalegoon]

I guess we have to give you a feather in the cap for that one.

[oldpax]

Do they have wings in Peurto rica?!!!

[ManaAdaSystem]

THEY SHOOT BOTH BOTTLES and I can see the nacelle expand with each shot.

Really????

[MarkerInbound]

The FAA Animal Strike Data Base has 6 iguana strikes in San Juan.

[glendalegoon]

ManaAdaSystem

Yes, really. one of the rare times a mechanic was right!

[grounded27]

I'm not. Video shows fire crew at the aircraft, one would assume they gave the crew an indication that it was safe to use that door (or indeed, the flight crew did, after communicating with them)

Crew are trained on what to look for from firefighters with regard to this...

Really? Fire trucks on the left. Complete incompetence if flight crew communicated the directional egress command or cabin crew panicked before providing situational information to the FC. L2 as well?? CC should have maintained much more discipline, communicate better with flight crew. The fire trucks were there should have had plenty of time to egress properly after proper communication between FC and CC beforehand.

[golfyankeesierra]

Glendaloon, you are talking about a tailpipe fire. In that case sit tight and motor it dry till the pooling fuel is extinguished.
This is a damaged engine on fire, something completely different.
On the ground after shooting your bottles, get out of there!

[Piltdown Man]

It is a shame we don't have any reliable eye-witness accounts or statements as to who said what and who did what. I fully believe there was a bang and totally believe there was panic. And despite the passengers having just been briefed a few moments earlier on what do in case of an evacuation, they still tried to beat their way out. So yet again, another example of how ridiculously pointless the current "safety" briefs are.

[glendalegoon]

golfyankee

yes, I understand the difference, but I see no indication of what type of fire is involved in this incident.

[framer]

Did anyone go out L2?
If they did, were they burnt to a chrisp by the fire ?
Maybe the cabin crew looked out L2, assessed that it was safe to use that exit, used the exit, and they were right?