It had grounded 24 777s that were in service at the time of the engine failure, with the remaining 28 in storage amid pandemic-reduced schedules. United has said it got to work on inspections and some engine fixes last year in anticipation of the FAA’s December directives, giving it a head start. The NTSB’s preliminary report indicated that one “fatigued” blade broke off and another fractured “consistent with an overload failure.” But an official conclusion about the cause is still pending. That appeared to have happened again over Denver. In the two earlier cases, cracked fan blades broke off and caused major damage to the engines. All three planes were older 777s with similar Pratt & Whitney engines. It said the next fan-blade failure “could lead to engine in-flight shutdown, impact damage to the (tail assembly), fuselage, or window, with significantly increased aerodynamic drag causing fuel exhaustion or the inability to maintain altitude … which could result in loss of control of the airplane, a forced off-airport landing, and injury to passengers.”īesides the 2018 United flight, a Japan Airlines flight in December 2020 - about two months before the Denver-area incident - experienced a similar failure. The FAA warned in December of the risks of not addressing the vulnerabilities at play. “It was a miracle that no one was killed or injured in the event,” Hall said. Jim Hall, a former NTSB chairman during the 1990s who is now a consultant based in Chattanooga, Tenn., characterized the incident as “a very serious event.” It rightfully prompted major responses by United and other carriers outside the United States, he said.īut he questioned why two similar engine failures on Boeing 777s, starting with a 2018 Hawaii-bound plane flown by United, didn’t prevent last year’s incident from happening. Those gave United, the only U.S.-based carrier with affected planes, a path to returning 52 grounded 777s to the air soon. But based on the NTSB’s preliminary findings last March, which pointed to fractured fan blades, the Federal Aviation Administration in late December laid out proposed directives for intensive inspections and retrofits. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to issue a final report on the cause of the engine failure for Flight 328, which carried 239 passengers and crew. The airline also has dealt with insurance claims by Klements and others on the ground who sustained property damage. United still faces legal claims and lawsuits by passengers, though it reached private settlements in recent months with 14 plaintiffs to end the highest-profile case, a lawsuit filed in U.S. Nobody was hurt onboard the plane or on the ground, but passengers and residents alike, including Klements and his wife, Maryann, have dealt with emotional scars from the Feb. Engine parts clobbered other structures nearby and rained down on a park where youth soccer teams were practicing. “We still find bits and pieces of that lying everywhere,” said Klements, 68, whose home of nearly four decades served as one of the highest-profile landing spots for falling debris - namely, a roughly 10-foot-diameter engine ring that grazed his house and smashed the cab on his heavy-duty Dodge Ram 2500 pickup, parked in the driveway. A United Airlines 777 airplane had an engine failure above and scattered parts over the entire nearby neighborhood and Broomfield Commons Park. The bridge was closed as the pilot evacuated the chopper.Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close MenuĪndy Cross, The Denver PostA large engine ring from an airplane engine sits in the front yard of Kirby Klements on Elmwood Street near East 13th Avenue on Feb. The Trauma Star helicopter was seen landing on US-1. The pilot was taken to Jackson Memorial South’s Ryder Trauma Center. Monroe County Airport Director Richard Strickland told Local 10 News that he believes the plane departed the Marathon Airport and was headed to Summerland Key.Ĭaptain David Dipre with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told Local 10 News that wildlife officers were also on scene to assist.Īuthorities said the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. “The lone male pilot was brought ashore by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where he was flown to a Miami hospital via Trauma Star with non-life-threatening injuries,” he said.Ī woman who identified herself as the pilot’s daughter told Local 10 News’ Cody Weddle he suffered several broken bones and is looking at a long recovery in the ICU. Linhardt told Local 10 News that the 75-year-old pilot was injured in the crash and was the only one onboard. – A small plane crashed off Bahia Honda State Park Saturday afternoon on the Gulf side off Horseshoe Key in Monroe County, authorities said.Īccording to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt.
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