Originally Posted by
Palal
Not really. The bird is ETOPS-120 certified. Would be enough time to either turn back or continue on for a safe landing in Honolulu.
AV Herald Article.
If you didn't know, ETOPS stands for Engine Turns Or Passengers Swim
Hawaii flights are operated under 180-min ETOPS rules... West coast to Hawaii is entirely over open water and needs almost every minute of those three hours!
Originally Posted by
Hipplewm
I would imagine at the least it will be an engine swap. I am sure UA has a "Fly away team" that can handle stuff like this, if there isn't someone there who can handle it.
UA has a sizable HNL TechOps presence which performs line maintenance on 777s and PW4000 engines. If they don't have a spare engine there (possible but not likely) one will need to be brought in.
Originally Posted by
Kacee
Single engine failure is one thing; as many have noted, the aircraft is ETOPS certified and can easily make Hawaii on one engine. But there is no way that losing fan blades over the Pacific is a "non-event." That can cause catastrophic damage, with consequences up to and including bringing the aircraft down.
^. The fact that the NTSB is involved makes this much more than a non-event. I think it's a testament to the resilience of the airframe and soundness of design, as well as the crew's response to the failure, that made it turn out like a non-event for all on board.