Turbine engine failure
Encyclopedia
A turbine engine failure refers to an incident wherein a turbine engine in an aircraft
unexpectedly stops producing power because of a part malfunction, in the absence of circumstances such as fuel exhaustion.
s to the gate
.
. While this situation can be alarming, the condition is momentary and not dangerous.
Other events such as a fuel control fault can result in excess fuel in the engine’s combustor
. This additional fuel can result in flames extending from the engine’s exhaust pipe. As alarming as this would appear, at no time is the engine itself actually on fire.
Also, the failure of certain components in the engine may result in a release of oil that can cause an odor or oily mist in the cabin. Despite these observations, such occurrences do not necessarily indicate an unsafe condition.
Two terms are helpful in describing the nature of engine failures. A “contained” engine failure is one in which components might separate inside the engine but either remain within the engine’s cases or exit the engine through the tail pipe. This is a design feature of all engines and generally should not pose an immediate flight risk. An “uncontained” engine failure can be more serious because pieces from the engine exit the engine at high speeds in other directions, posing potential danger to the aircraft structure and persons within the plane. In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board
will likely investigate any uncontained engine failure involving a transport category aircraft.
Here are a number of examples of uncontained engine failures incidents or accidents:
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
unexpectedly stops producing power because of a part malfunction, in the absence of circumstances such as fuel exhaustion.
Nature of failures
Jet engines in use on today’s commercial airliners are quite reliable. It is common for engines to operate for tens of thousands of hours without difficulty before being removed from service for scheduled inspection. However, engine malfunctions or failures occasionally occur that require an engine to be shut down in flight. Since multi-engine airplanes are designed to fly with one engine inoperative and flight crews are trained to fly with one engine inoperative, the in-flight shutdown of an engine typically does not constitute a safety of flight issue. Following an engine shutdown, a precautionary landing is performed with airport fire and rescue equipment positioned near the runway. Once the airplane lands, fire department personnel assist with inspecting the airplane to ensure it is safe before it taxiTaxiing
Taxiing refers to the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or push-back where the aircraft is moved by a tug...
s to the gate
Gate (airport)
A gate in aviation is a long, movable, "bridge" that allows passengers to embark and disembark their aircraft.* Jetway bridges* Air stairs, either built into the aircraft or from a mobile vehicle* Mobile lounges...
.
Things that are not failures
Most in-flight shutdowns are benign and likely to go unnoticed by passengers. For example, it may be prudent for the flight crew to shut down an engine and perform a precautionary landing in the event of a low oil pressure or high oil temperature warning in the cockpit. However, passengers may become quite alarmed by other engine events such as a compressor surge — a malfunction that is typified by loud bangs and even flames from the engine’s inlet and tailpipe. A compressor surge is a disruption of the airflow through a gas turbine engine that can be caused by engine deterioration, a crosswind over the engine’s inlet, ingestion of foreign material, or an internal component failure such as a broken bladeTurbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
. While this situation can be alarming, the condition is momentary and not dangerous.
Other events such as a fuel control fault can result in excess fuel in the engine’s combustor
Combustor
A combustor is a component or area of a gas turbine, ramjet, or scramjet engine where combustion takes place. It is also known as a burner, combustion chamber or flame holder. In a gas turbine engine, the combustor or combustion chamber is fed high pressure air by the compression system. The...
. This additional fuel can result in flames extending from the engine’s exhaust pipe. As alarming as this would appear, at no time is the engine itself actually on fire.
Also, the failure of certain components in the engine may result in a release of oil that can cause an odor or oily mist in the cabin. Despite these observations, such occurrences do not necessarily indicate an unsafe condition.
Contained versus uncontained failures
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
will likely investigate any uncontained engine failure involving a transport category aircraft.
Here are a number of examples of uncontained engine failures incidents or accidents:
- Qantas Flight 32: an A-380 flying from Singapore to Sydney in 2010 had an oil fire in a Rolls-Royce Trent 900Rolls-Royce Trent 900The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is a series of turbofan engines, developed from the RB211 and is one of the family of Trent engines.-Design and development:...
engine. No fatalities. - Delta Air Lines Flight 1288Delta Air Lines Flight 1288Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 was a regularly scheduled flight from Pensacola, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia on a McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engines...
: an MD-88 flying from Pensacola, Florida to Atlanta in 1996 had hub crack in a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engine. 2 fatalities. - United Airlines Flight 232United Airlines Flight 232United Airlines Flight 232 was a scheduled flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, with continuing service to Philadelphia International Airport...
: a DC-10 flying from Denver to Chicago in 1989. The failure of the rear General Electric CF6General Electric CF6The General Electric CF6 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines produced by GE Aviation. A development of the first high-power high-bypass jet engine available, the TF39, the CF6 powers a wide variety of civilian airliners. The basic engine core formed the basis for the LM2500, LM5000, and...
-6 engine caused the loss of all hydraulics forcing the pilots to attempt a landing using differential thrust. 111 fatalities. - Cameroon Airlines Flight 786Cameroon Airlines Flight 786Cameroon Airlines Flight 786 was a Boeing 737-2H7C, registration TJ-CBD, operating as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Douala Airport, Cameroon , to Garoua via Yaoundé. On 30 August 1984, as the aircraft was taxiing out for takeoff with 109 passengers and a crew of 7 on board, its number...
: a Boeing 737Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
flying between Douala and Garoua, Cameroon in 1984 had a failure of a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 engine. 2 fatalities. - National Airlines Flight 27National Airlines Flight 27On November 3, 1973, a National Airlines DC-10-10 aircraft was operating as a scheduled passenger flight between Miami and San Francisco with intermediate stops at New Orleans, Houston, and Las Vegas ....
: a DC-10 flying from Miami to San Francisco in 1973 had an overspeed failure of a General Electric CF6General Electric CF6The General Electric CF6 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines produced by GE Aviation. A development of the first high-power high-bypass jet engine available, the TF39, the CF6 powers a wide variety of civilian airliners. The basic engine core formed the basis for the LM2500, LM5000, and...
-6. 1 Fatality.