Sorry, was providing generic information. More likely to be a cold section part from the pics, I was trying to be illustrative of.the energy involved when these things go Pete tong and bits exit tangentially.

Quote: 'What a scary incident but, tragic as one death is, this seems to impress on me the resilience of modern aircraft. Surely a similar failure in the 70's/80's would have bought the aircraft down?'

Why, exactly???

The "expert" in question claims to have been managing director of the NTSB. See http://www.oneillandassoc.com/our-te...ber.cfm?mid=32 So from the point of view of the poor CNN staffer who's been tasked to find an expert and get them on air within minutes he must seem like quite a catch. Especially since he's "a sought-after commentator on aviation issues appearing regularly on CNN, Fox, CBS, BBC, CCCTV, Al Jazeera and Al Hurra TV" according to his bio...

I don't have the statistical data available to disagree, Tdracer. I also agree with you that engine cowls do seem to be going missing rather often - perhaps the material selection of modern engine cowls is part of that. Back in the early days of turbojets, we had hulking hunks of aluminum around them.

That is not to say a well designed inner ring of plastic is not what the doctor ordered regarding fan blade containment, but statistics seem to agree with your observation regarding the cowling itself.

The majority of the core is manufactured by the American GE, with the French company Safran (formerly SNECMA) manufacturing and designing the fan, some ancillary bits, the nacelle, and the LP turbine and compressor assemblies. It has been among the most reliable turbofans ever placed into commercial service.

VAPilot... Is this the same engine that many carriers are putting in place of the RR, for the Dreamliner?

You'll all be delighted to know that the BBC report one pax:
At least the BBC had the decency to put "free falling" with inverted commas but did not explain that it might have felt like free falling but was a controlled emergency descent as per SOP for every commercial airline. They had the chance to educate (just a teeny bit) but, I'm guessing, the lack of proper staff on hand who have knowledge to be applied, could be a factor.

Very curious, fan looks intact (albeit from poor images) I'm sad to say that my first instinct is an explosion of some kind.

CityofFlight:...
"Is this the same engine that many carriers are putting in place of the RR, for the Dreamliner?"

If you're really from Seattle you should know better than that.
This engine has been around since the 1970s. No good for the Binliner !

I wouldn't think so City of Flight. I believe even the highest thrust rated CFM would be too low for that aircraft.

No, 787 engine is much larger. Trent 1000 or GEnx-1B

The last one to let go in 2016 only lost one fan blade and looked equally intact....

Where perchance may this "explosion" supposedly come from?

The broken window position seems odd, 4 rows behind the overwing emergency exit, adjacent to trailing edge????

If you mean the A380 incident then you're incorrect, the fan departed company from the hub in that instance.

O2 mask design-flawed?
 

Yes, it could be that the standard drop masks are in fact flawed in design, the circular shape does not encourage the unlucky/lucky user to don it covering nose and mouth.

No I mean the same model CFM engine that let go on another southwestern flight and on appearance, in exactly the same way. Check page one of the thread.

Female passenger deceased.

My apologies for the mis-understanding, I'll check it out and get back to you.

Thanks VAPilot & Thruster... appreciate the feedback. Wasn't sure if GE had a larger version.
OldChina, just because I lived in Seattle didn't mean I worked for Boeing. A few airlines are replacing the RR engine on the 787. I'm just curious which engine is being used.

I checked, I'm not convinced that it's the same failure. My rationale (and I accept it is early days and may change as the facts change) massive damage to the inlet forward of the fan (blades go slightly rearwards and out and are contained (FBO test) not forward) and the position of the broken window, well aft of the fan.

Explosion hypothesis, shredding of the cowl and what appears to be scorching, the source - I have no idea, there should never be an explosive atmosphere in that zone of the engine.

From the BBC,

When flight attendants told passengers to brace for impact, Mr Bourman said he and his wife worried for the worst.

As you might, but for an engine failure?