[Report Published] BA2276 LAS-LGW B772 G-VIIO aircraft fire Las Vegas airport
#1306
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#1307
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Thanks for sharing. The CVR is very interesting, and ends with the line (flight crew referring to the cabin crew who'd just completed a successful evacuation), "crew are brilliant."
Well quite.
Well quite.
#1308
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This year during our annual refresher course we have a session with our flight crew colleagues where we discuss this incident, there are always things to learn as there are never any text book evacuations, some procedures have been changed due to what has been learnt.
#1309
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This year during our annual refresher course we have a session with our flight crew colleagues where we discuss this incident, there are always things to learn as there are never any text book evacuations, some procedures have been changed due to what has been learnt.
#1310
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#1311
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I working shipping figures work like this here too. The plus one on ships is the captain he is technically not a member of ships crew. This is mostly a legal hangover from the days when the captain was also the owner of the ship.
I assume it transfered to aircraft like many shipping traditions like the uniforms, the term captain etc
I assume it transfered to aircraft like many shipping traditions like the uniforms, the term captain etc
#1312
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Final NTSB report has been published: National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report
Some analysis from Bloomberg here: Jet Engine Explosion Triggered Chaotic 2015 Las Vegas Fire
Some analysis from Bloomberg here: Jet Engine Explosion Triggered Chaotic 2015 Las Vegas Fire
The cockpit crew at first didnt realize there was a fire outside the engine and the captain initially ordered passengers not to evacuate, NTSB said. After smoke became visible around the plane and a pilot who had gone into the cabin reported the fire, the captain called for an emergency evacuation.
With fire blocking some exits on the left side and the still-running right engine blasting wind against the rear two exits on that side of the plane, passengers had to escape through only two of the eight doors, the NTSB found. In the chaotic moments of the emergency, pilots also didnt perform proper checklists, according to the investigation.
With fire blocking some exits on the left side and the still-running right engine blasting wind against the rear two exits on that side of the plane, passengers had to escape through only two of the eight doors, the NTSB found. In the chaotic moments of the emergency, pilots also didnt perform proper checklists, according to the investigation.
The engine failed so violently that metal fragments broke through a protective covering, spraying the area and plane with debris and also triggering a fuel leak that erupted in flames. Manufacturers must show engines can fail without allowing such shrapnel to escape before they can be certified.
...
We have never experienced the cracking to this particular compressor component that led to the Las Vegas incident in any other GE90 engine, GE said in an emailed statement. Not before the accident, nor during the fleet inspections after the incident. The engine model has been in service since 1995.
...
We have never experienced the cracking to this particular compressor component that led to the Las Vegas incident in any other GE90 engine, GE said in an emailed statement. Not before the accident, nor during the fleet inspections after the incident. The engine model has been in service since 1995.
Last edited by Steve_ZA; Jun 21, 2018 at 2:35 am
#1313
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It's a salutary reminder of how dangerous fire is, Boeing estimate that only 97 Gallons (367 ltr) off fuel spilled and yet the Club World cabin wall looks to have been compromised with charring on the side of the wall at Row 11.(see image) The fire took 4 minutes and 37 seconds, after the aircraft stopped, to be extinguished and this is at a large 'first world' airport.
A full wing on a 200ER contains about 9,500 US Gallons (36,200 lts.)
Row 11 G-VIIO image NTSB.
A full wing on a 200ER contains about 9,500 US Gallons (36,200 lts.)
Row 11 G-VIIO image NTSB.
#1314
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BA 777 Las Vegas fire report
The 2015 incident at McCarran airport report has been published. Unfortunately the captain made some errors!
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-rele...r20180620.aspx
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-rele...r20180620.aspx
A 2015 engine fire on a British Airways 777-236ER was caused by a fatigue crack in the high-pressure compressor stage 8 disk web and subsequent uncontained engine failure, which led to the detachment of the main fuel supply line, the National Transportation Safety Board found Wednesday.
The September 8, 2015 fire occurred during the takeoff roll at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Two seconds after hearing a bang, the captain aborted the takeoff, and the jetliner came to a stop on the runway 13 seconds later. The 157 passengers, including one lap child, and 13 crewmembers evacuated via emergency slides. The flights destination was London-Gatwick Airport.
The captain ordered passengers to evacuate from the right side of the airplane. But the NTSB found that the unaffected right engine continued to run for 43 seconds after the captains order, resulting in jet blast blowing two emergency slides out of position and rendering them unusable for the evacuation. The passengers and crew were able to use two of the eight doors to leave the airplane before smoke and fire encroached the fuselage.
The left engine of the 777-236ER after the fire. (Photo: NTSB)
The NTSB found that the captain did not use his quick reference handbook to read and do checklist items. It was only when a third pilot in the cockpit noticed instruments indicating the right engine was still running that the engine was shut down. Because the captain did not follow standard procedures, his call for the evacuation checklist and the shutdown of the right engine were delayed, the report said.
The high-pressure compressor stage 8-10 spool in the left engine, one of two GE GE90-85BG11 engines on the airplane, had accumulated 11,459 total cycles. Investigators found that the crack initiated after about 6,000 cycles, much earlier than the engines manufacturer, GE, predicted; the cause of the crack initiation could not be identified. There were no additional cracks found on the disk during a post-accident inspection of the engine.
The disk web was not an area that either the Federal Aviation Administration or the manufacturer required to be inspected, so the crack went undetected. During maintenance in September 2008, when the high-pressure compressor was removed from the engine and disassembled, exposing the stage 8-10 spool, the surface crack length would have been about 0.05 inches. If the disk web had been required to be inspected during this maintenance, the crack should have been detectable, the report said. The lack of inspection procedures for the stage 8 disk contributed to the accident, the NTSB found. After the accident, GE implemented inspection procedures designed to detect disk web cracks.
The full report can be found here or on NTSB.gov.
The September 8, 2015 fire occurred during the takeoff roll at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Two seconds after hearing a bang, the captain aborted the takeoff, and the jetliner came to a stop on the runway 13 seconds later. The 157 passengers, including one lap child, and 13 crewmembers evacuated via emergency slides. The flights destination was London-Gatwick Airport.
The captain ordered passengers to evacuate from the right side of the airplane. But the NTSB found that the unaffected right engine continued to run for 43 seconds after the captains order, resulting in jet blast blowing two emergency slides out of position and rendering them unusable for the evacuation. The passengers and crew were able to use two of the eight doors to leave the airplane before smoke and fire encroached the fuselage.
The left engine of the 777-236ER after the fire. (Photo: NTSB)
The NTSB found that the captain did not use his quick reference handbook to read and do checklist items. It was only when a third pilot in the cockpit noticed instruments indicating the right engine was still running that the engine was shut down. Because the captain did not follow standard procedures, his call for the evacuation checklist and the shutdown of the right engine were delayed, the report said.
The high-pressure compressor stage 8-10 spool in the left engine, one of two GE GE90-85BG11 engines on the airplane, had accumulated 11,459 total cycles. Investigators found that the crack initiated after about 6,000 cycles, much earlier than the engines manufacturer, GE, predicted; the cause of the crack initiation could not be identified. There were no additional cracks found on the disk during a post-accident inspection of the engine.
The disk web was not an area that either the Federal Aviation Administration or the manufacturer required to be inspected, so the crack went undetected. During maintenance in September 2008, when the high-pressure compressor was removed from the engine and disassembled, exposing the stage 8-10 spool, the surface crack length would have been about 0.05 inches. If the disk web had been required to be inspected during this maintenance, the crack should have been detectable, the report said. The lack of inspection procedures for the stage 8 disk contributed to the accident, the NTSB found. After the accident, GE implemented inspection procedures designed to detect disk web cracks.
The full report can be found here or on NTSB.gov.
#1315
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Did/will this have any impact on the captain's career as a pilot? Does/will he continue to work for BA?
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Thanks for posting - a long but intriguing read.
Failure to shut down the starboard engine by not following the checklist was a major safety failing which fortunately does not appear to have contributed to the severity of the situation. As a "mere" CPL with IMC, I can fully understand that when things get hectic, procedures are sometimes not followed as rigorously as should be, but can remember how strongly that necessity was drilled into me as a flight student.
Cabin crew appear to have done an excellent job though. Was this MF? It shows us all what they are really there for and not just making sure our steaks are not over-cooked.
Failure to shut down the starboard engine by not following the checklist was a major safety failing which fortunately does not appear to have contributed to the severity of the situation. As a "mere" CPL with IMC, I can fully understand that when things get hectic, procedures are sometimes not followed as rigorously as should be, but can remember how strongly that necessity was drilled into me as a flight student.
Cabin crew appear to have done an excellent job though. Was this MF? It shows us all what they are really there for and not just making sure our steaks are not over-cooked.
#1320
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