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A380 Flies 5,000 Miles On Three Engines
Canada's Transportation Safety Board says Emirates Airlines elected to fly an A380 more than 5,000 miles across the Atlantic, southern Europe and the Mediterranean to Kuwait on three engines after the number four engine flamed out about an hour after takeoff from JFK. The original destination was Dubai for Flight 202 on Oct 26. "The crew consulted with the company and decided to divert to Kuwait International Airport (OKBK) on the remaining three engines where an uneventful landing… (www.avweb.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
So a qualified crew, in conjunction with maintenance made a decision and it turned out as planned? The horror. They elected to land short of Dubai because of the increased fuel burn and had plenty of divert points over Europe. Just like with BA 268, it was recognized that the crew and company did nothing wrong per CAA rules and no enforcement action was taken. To this day, neither BA or the CAA has amended policy because of the incident. The FAA dropped its proposed enforcement action as well.
Ok, I'm flying any 2,3,4or 8 engine airplane and shortly after fueling and takeoff, I lose an engine. I see absolutely no reason for it. No fire, no leaks, no mechanical damage. My next thought would be fuel contamination. Do I really want to continue a 13 hour flight not knowing if I have bad fuel? The fuel gets colder at altitude so any contamination could then freeze up and clog lines or pumps before the fuel heaters. I had a single flameout in a 2 engine jet for this reason and am lucky it was not a duel flameout as there was significant water in the tank after landing. With jet fuel, it could take several hours after fueling for all water to settle out to be drained. Not sure about the systems on the 380 but if one flamed out because of fuel contamination, the others could also. The flight landed safely this time but how about next time. Would any of the people that say this is ok really want to be on the aircraft that had an engine failure due to fuel contamination. If it were me, I had rather be safely on the ground waiting for a new plane.....just my thoughts.....
Murphy does not discriminate.
O'tools Corolary to Murphy's Law...... Murphy was an optimist!
Wholeheartedly agree my friend! We know how that word "assume" is spelled. Kinda like the Asiana crew who assumed (presumably) that the auto throttles were engaged or that the other guy had it! To continue for such an inordinate distance with a turbofan engine that has unexpectedly and inexplicably flamed out is an invitation for more surprises. This time it turned out OK, but next time??? It's axiomatic in aviation that runway behind you, sky above you and alternate/divert fields behind you are of no use to you or your passengers, especially the latter who have placed their trust in your hands and your head for their safety and comfort.
Did I read where someone in one of these posts actually remarked that the Atlantic Ocean is not that wide? I just shake and scratch my head at the mere thought of such a statement. I've been across it many times over the years and it always seemed wide to me especially when the tracks were shifted south on a dark and stormy night when things always seemed to go bump in the night long about 40 west followed by the usual rejoinder among the three of us, "What the hell was that?" When I think about Lucky Lindy making that trip in that flimsy little SE recip, I can't help but marvel at his incredible courage or stupidity or both. He was either one lucky SOB or he God as his copilot.
Did I read where someone in one of these posts actually remarked that the Atlantic Ocean is not that wide? I just shake and scratch my head at the mere thought of such a statement. I've been across it many times over the years and it always seemed wide to me especially when the tracks were shifted south on a dark and stormy night when things always seemed to go bump in the night long about 40 west followed by the usual rejoinder among the three of us, "What the hell was that?" When I think about Lucky Lindy making that trip in that flimsy little SE recip, I can't help but marvel at his incredible courage or stupidity or both. He was either one lucky SOB or he God as his copilot.
And mine.
I bet you drain the water condensation out of your tanks before flying now huh?
On board a jet flying to Europe, two passengers hear the announcement:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have had some minor trouble with the #1 engine and had to shut it down. This will make us about 40 minutes late landing at Heathrow"
A while later, the Pilot comes on the PA again:
"I am afraid we have lost our #3 engine, and our arrival will now be about 90 minutes late. We are very sorry for the inconvenience"
Another hour goes by, and the plane gets even quieter. The Pilot announces:
"We are really very sorry, but now we have lost the #2 engine. We regret to inform our very patient passengers that we will be over 2 hours late landing at Heathrow".
One passenger turns to the other and says:
"I sure hope we don't lose #4, we'll be up here all day!"