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QF144 Auckland to Sydney engine out

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QF144 Auckland to Sydney engine out

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Old 20th Jan 2023, 11:00
  #121 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Mooloo
Sure. And that minimises the risk window. However if you lose two engines you’re still potentially looking at buying the farm if you’re over water. Bring back big quads!
I thought we grew out of that mindset last century.
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 12:02
  #122 (permalink)  
 
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As much as the media reporting of aircraft incidents annoys me too, we have to admit that the mainstream media probably don’t care whether what is reported is essentially accurate or not. Most of the “great unwashed” that aren’t part of the aviation community wouldn’t be able to pick the difference between a 737 and a 787 and probably wouldn’t care. In this era of social media, the public has the attention span of a gnat, and the media are under pressure to get the story out ASAP. Also, sensationalism grabs the attention that the advertisers demand and, therefore, aeroplanes don’t descend rapidly, they “plummet”; the passengers aren’t concerned, they’re “terrified” and crews that handle inflight emergencies efficiently aren’t professional, they’re “heroes”. I have a feeling that the media don’t really care about accuracy anymore, and we should start getting used to it for our own sanity.
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 13:38
  #123 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by ampclamp
By the way did we find out what the actual defect was?
The front fell off.
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 17:52
  #124 (permalink)  
 
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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.
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 20:31
  #125 (permalink)  
 
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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....
One wonders if the ATSB will include the 4 incidents in 3 days for QF and the NJS failures in the QF144 investigation? (I'm aware that not all air returns were engine failures)
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 22:46
  #126 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Shark Patrol
As much as the media reporting of aircraft incidents annoys me too, we have to admit that the mainstream media probably don’t care whether what is reported is essentially accurate or not. Most of the “great unwashed” that aren’t part of the aviation community wouldn’t be able to pick the difference between a 737 and a 787 and probably wouldn’t care. In this era of social media, the public has the attention span of a gnat, and the media are under pressure to get the story out ASAP. Also, sensationalism grabs the attention that the advertisers demand and, therefore, aeroplanes don’t descend rapidly, they “plummet”; the passengers aren’t concerned, they’re “terrified” and crews that handle inflight emergencies efficiently aren’t professional, they’re “heroes”. I have a feeling that the media don’t really care about accuracy anymore, and we should start getting used to it for our own sanity.
It’s a little unfair to expect the media to be experts on aviation, they’ll play what’s in front of them and of course they’ll make the story as click baity as possible. This is their job. Like folks in the media “the great unwashed” also tend to over react to aviation incidents.

This us and them attitude some of us have isn’t helpful. At days end aviation is in the news for multiple turn backs in a short timeline. Coincidence or not, whether we like it or not, this is newsworthy.


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Old 20th Jan 2023, 23:05
  #127 (permalink)  
 
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Doesn’t help when someone purporting to have some aviation expertise is calling for a return to 4 engines.
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Old 20th Jan 2023, 23:33
  #128 (permalink)  
 
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That’s true. The only reason to have four engines is that there are no five engined aircraft.

Old joke by the way , like the B-52 on only 7 engines mayday story.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 00:23
  #129 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Lead Balloon
Doesn’t help when someone purporting to have some aviation expertise is calling for a return to 4 engines.
"Captain, sir, number 4 engine has failed"
"Which side?"
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 02:54
  #130 (permalink)  
 
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Two engines over long oceans is a classic example of affordable safety!
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 03:19
  #131 (permalink)  
 
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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.
When an engine fails, the checklist directs you to start the APU. It should start. But, in this case, it may have already been running… traditionally for ETOPS/EDTO on the 737 the APU is always left running. So if an engine (or generator) fails, you have an immediate backup. A few years ago, the concept of “APU on demand” AOD came in whereby some aircraft have their APUs monitored for reliability (includes regular start attempts after a long cold soak in cruise at high altitude) and provided they meet all the relevant maintenance criteria they can fly ETOPS with APU turned off.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 04:27
  #132 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Occy
When an engine fails, the checklist directs you to start the APU. It should start. But, in this case, it may have already been running… traditionally for ETOPS/EDTO on the 737 the APU is always left running. So if an engine (or generator) fails, you have an immediate backup. A few years ago, the concept of “APU on demand” AOD came in whereby some aircraft have their APUs monitored for reliability (includes regular start attempts after a long cold soak in cruise at high altitude) and provided they meet all the relevant maintenance criteria they can fly ETOPS with APU turned off.
Thanks Occy.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 04:30
  #133 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Mooloo
It’s a little unfair to expect the media to be experts on aviation, they’ll play what’s in front of them and of course they’ll make the story as click baity as possible. This is their job. Like folks in the media “the great unwashed” also tend to over react to aviation incidents.

This us and them attitude some of us have isn’t helpful. At days end aviation is in the news for multiple turn backs in a short timeline. Coincidence or not, whether we like it or not, this is newsworthy.
Some SLF think that the phrase ' we lost an engine', means it physically fell off the wing.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 04:33
  #134 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Dick Smith
Two engines over long oceans is a classic example of affordable safety!
As they say, it's all good until it isn't, hate to think if the remaining engine gives out from the extra expected of it and you're an hour from land.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 04:46
  #135 (permalink)  
 
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We all have one common goal: to reassure the public that flying is safe. Unfortunately, those effects are being diminished by the constant circus show and tomfoolery that the media displays. Perhaps we should all start a movement, directed at the media, to do a similar act of what the French did to their royal family!
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 06:23
  #136 (permalink)  
 
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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.
To add to that, all of the double engine failures on jet twins that I can think of were caused by things that made the number of engines irrelevant, like running out of fuel (AT236), or fuel contamination (BA38). The engines themselves are statistically very reliable and the chance of them failing at the same time for unrelated causes is so low it can be realistically discounted.

Last edited by FullWings; 21st Jan 2023 at 07:39.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 07:16
  #137 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Matt48
As they say, it's all good until it isn't, hate to think if the remaining engine gives out from the extra expected of it and you're an hour from land.
Having flown a BAe146 for a few hours and an A320, I know which would one I'd rather have an engine failure in 180 minutes from the nearest suitable, and it's not the one with five APUs four engines.
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 09:18
  #138 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Matt48
As they say, it's all good until it isn't, hate to think if the remaining engine gives out from the extra expected of it and you're an hour from land.
So four engines required, each one of which is capable of sustaining the flight of the aircraft.

Then we need to set up a 24/7 air-air refuelling fleet, cruising and ready to deliver fuel mid-ocean crossing, to the (mid-air refuelling-capable) four-engined aircraft, because it doesn’t matter how many engines you have if you lose all the motion lotion due to a defect or damage. After all, the probabilities of losing all the motion lotion are about the same as losing both of the engines on a modern, transport category aircraft.

Run it past ICAO. (That’d be the same ICAO that hasn’t got GADDS through yet, more than seven years after MH370.)
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Old 21st Jan 2023, 19:16
  #139 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Dick Smith
Two engines over long oceans is a classic example of affordable safety!
You're under the mistaken assumption that more than two engines automatically makes it safer. Statistically, there is no basis for that.
While more than two engines makes it less likely you'll experience an all engine power loss, it increases the probability of experiencing a catastrophic engine failure - e.g. engine fire, uncontained failure that damages critical systems, etc.
As long as there is a certain level of engine reliability (which is required by ETOPS), when you add engines (above two), the increase in probability of a catastrophic engine failure is greater than the reduction in probability of an all engine power loss.

BTW, I didn't make that up - it's the entire basis of ETOPS.
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Old 23rd Jan 2023, 00:10
  #140 (permalink)  
 
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The townsville refueller has it on good advice, that is was a catastrophic thronomeister failure, that caused the shutdown

Last edited by timbo1; 23rd Jan 2023 at 00:11. Reason: typo
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