Episode #29. The British Airways 777-200ER Engine Failure.

The Hangardeck Podcast is back from the Summer Break.  Pete, Ed, Rick and Andy jump right back into the studio and discuss the most recent British Airways Catastrophic Engine Failure.

The NTSB most recent press release regarding the British Airways 777-200ER:

As part of its ongoing investigation into Tuesday’s engine fire that occurred during takeoff of British Airways flight 2276, a Boeing 777, at McCarran International Airport (LAS), the NTSB today released the following investigative update.

Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip can be seen behind a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. An engine on the British Airways plane caught fire before takeoff. (AP Photo/John Locher)

NTSB investigators arrived on scene Wednesday morning local time to begin the on-scene investigation. The NTSB investigative team includes experts in powerplants, airplane systems, and fire. The following groups will be organized: powerplants, airworthiness (airplane structure, systems, and fire), flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

Parties to the NTSB investigation are the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), The Boeing Company, and GE Aviation. In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13, the UK Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB), as the State of the Operator, has appointed an accredited representative to assist the investigation. The UK accredited representative has initially appointed British Airways and the UK Civil Aviation Authority as technical advisers.

The following are the initial factual findings:

British Airways 777-200ER, flight 2276, equipped with two GE90-85B engines, registration G-VIIO, was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 129 and was en route to London – Gatwick Airport (LGW), Horley, England.

  • There were 157 passengers, including 1 lap child, and 13 crew members on board. There were several minor injuries as a result of the evacuation (mostly abrasions).
  • The flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and quick access recorder have arrived at the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory and are currently being downloaded.
  • On Tuesday evening, the airplane was photographed and the runway debris documented by FAA and airport officials before airplane was towed to secluded area of the airport (in order to reopen the runway).
  • Initial examination of the British Airways 777-200ER left engine revealed multiple breaches of the engine case in the area around the high pressure compressor.
  • Examination of the material recovered from runway found several pieces of the high pressure compressor spool (approximately 7-8 inches in length).
  • Initial examination of the airplane by NTSB revealed that the left engine and pylon, left fuselage structure and inboard left wing airplane were substantially damaged by the fire. This damage will be documented over the next several days.

A damaged British Airways 777-200ER sits at McCarran International Airport Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, in Las Vegas. An engine caught fire before takeoff of British Airways Flight 2276 Tuesday forcing the evacuation of the crew and passengers. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The power-plants and airworthiness groups will continue documenting the airplane and engine over the next several days. It is anticipated that once the tooling is in place, the left engine will be removed and shipped to a facility to conduct a full tear down.

Pete, Ed, Rick and Andyare happy to be back in action and have some great Episodes coming up. Stay Tuned for some great Aviation Talk for the Aviation Enthusiast.