Would you ask to get down of a plane if engine has problems?
 

Hi all,

My flight was scheduled at 2000 from MTY to MEX. Once we were on the plane, pilot said: Sorry for the delay, but this plane had some engine problems in MEX.

I had a window seat and when we were supposed to be moving when I saw smoke coming out of the engine an immediately mechanics trying to fix it.

After many announcements and ppl checking/fixing the engine, we were asked to move to a different plane.

Question is: in a similar situation, would you ask to get down even if the airline/pilot says it's "safe"?

No. There are so many safety requirements that the captain needs to comply with that I trust we'll only leave if the problem is truly fixed. Sometimes I get frustrated with the need for the crew to "fill out some paperwork" every time they need to do even the most minor repair -- then it occurs to me that the documentation requirements are there for everybody's safety.

And remember, if the plane goes down, it affects the captain too....

That's the reason I wouldn't get off the plane. If it's safe enough for the pilot, then it's safe enough for me.

Unless the pilot happens to be a test pilot on a test plane. Then I might start considering my rebooking options. ;)

Then you'll have nothing to do, nowehere to go-oh...
You wanna be sedated?

;)

Thanks... I agree that the pilot being on the plane was enough to consider it safe, but it was a first for me.

It was OK not asking to get down before the Pilot actually said so... =)

The pilots first job before taking the controls is his most important...Safety.
He is in charge of everyones well being so if he says the aircraft is safe to go, you can pretty much bet on it.

As an airline pilot of 19 years, I never understood that logic because the pilots have been on board of every airliner that has ever crashed.

As far as the original question goes, a passenger does not have enough information for specific knowledge to make that kind of determination. Either you trust the system and fly or you don't trust the system and should probably look for another way to get around. Any judgment you make from the partial facts available to the passengers will be wrong at least as often as it's right.

The point is that the pilot has a (very) vested interest in getting it right to the best of his/her ability, as opposed to simply being a disinterested bean counter in a back office somewhere (and who doesn't have their life on the line). Combined with the fact that pilots have more aviation knowledge than most pax, it gives us a very good reason to trust their judgment. Nobody said they are perfect -- if we expected perfect safety, nobody would ever fly...or drive...or chew gum.

I agree that as a passenger I have no clue about everything that is behind a flight, but it makes me feel safer to know that the final "GO/NO GO" comes from someone who will be on the plane instead of someone seating comfortably behind his desk.

Nothing is 100% safe, so we all take our chances every day in everything we do/don't do.

I don't think I would, I trust the mechanics, pilots and everyone else involved to make the correct choice.

However, I once flew from Mahe in the Seychelles to one of the surrounding islands in a small dual prop plane. When we landed the pilot started playing with the throttles, testing the engines, revving them etc.. Turns out we flew the 30 miles over the Indian Ocean on only 1 working engine. It just goes to show that the smaller airline companies and planes MAY not be as trustworthy as we assume.

Engine failures HAPPEN. They don't happen very often, but they do happen, and they happen to both small airlines and large ones. The aircraft that landed in the Hudson River did so after an engine failure - would you say that US Airways is not trustworthy?

I am assuming that your aircraft suffered an engine failure in mid-flight (it wouldn't have taken off on one engine - it would never have got off the ground). From what you are saying it seems the pilot got things under control so quickly that the passengers didn't even notice an engine had failed until after you landed - VERY well done.

If your pilot elected to continue to your destination after the engine failure then this was probably because he considered it safer to continue than to turn back.

First of all, you don't get down off a plane, you get down off a duck. ;)

Second, it depends on the airline. As long as it's a major, if the captain signs off on it, it's good enough for me.

If you'd seen the shape of the airplane you would realise that there's a big difference between US Airways and what ever company flew the service between the islands. A big difference. Was the Hudson crash an engine failure from mechanical break down or bird strike? I thought it was bird strike but I've not looked into it since they first mentioned birds on the day..

Well we completed the journey so I think you answered the questions for me! It must have started playing up after take off and progressively deteriorated during the flight. I'm no expert, but you're right that things were looked after pretty damn well.

You're assuming the engine started acting up during the first half of the flight. Why turn back when you are halfway?

I am getting much better, but about 10 years ago I developed a strong fear of flying that seemed to develop out of nowhere. About 2 years ago I flew to Fiji and just after removing the walkway at Melbourne Airport, the plane seemed to conk out. The engines were re-started but the same thing kept happening. I swear my mouth went dry and my stomach plunged into what little room was left between me and the seat in front.

Next thing there was an announcement saying there was an 'electrical' problem. After an hour of strange noises coming out of here, there and everywhere there was another announcement asking if there was a doctor onboard to please make themselves known to cabin staff.

In my fear-driven mind, this was becoming the experience from hell and my panic just intensified. One and a half hours later with me trying to escape to confines of the cabin with dear husband hanging on to stop me, the engines started and this time stayed on.

So the question would one ask to get off if the plane had problems? Well for me I wasn't going to ask. I was just going to go. That is if I could have managed to scramble over and get past my husband sitting next to me who could see his long awaited and relaxing holiday in Taveuni disappear before his eyes...lol. I'm so glad he stopped me because I had a ball and the fear seems to have dissipated.

i don't think english is the OP's first language.

i was on an Airbus in fll a couple years ago. the computers would not come up. the flight crew, then a set of ground people kept rebooting the plane(what else you call it?). after over an hour, and a half a dozen electrical shutdowns and refires, they cancelled the flight and let us get on a different plane.

i was one happy camper. airbus 320's sort of need those computers to be able to fly safely.

when they dump the passengers out of the plane, and set up 2 or 3 gate agents to rebook 150 people, run to the front desk and rebook there or in the lounge if you have status. i was back in DC by the time some of those people were finally rebooked.