Another One, #Boeing? 🤬
United Airlines flight out of Charlotte diverted after possible engine failure - News & Observer https://apple.news/AIMYzISXiQnG5g0OP-f6Img
@jann This sort of thing happens all the time, and it's often not the manufacturer's fault. You run an engine all day every day for years on end and it's gonna have an issue eventually. There's a reason every airplane has to have its engine(s) totally rebuilt every two years. Learning how to handle a loss of engine power is one of the first things a new pilot learns.
The media are sensationalizing every little thing since the door plug failure. With the number of planes in the air, there's no way everything will always be perfect, but we have systems in place to keep people safe and those systems are working.
@LouisIngenthron okay I give you that but a front wheel literally falling off a plane on the runway (that has an otherwise unblemished maintenance record)? That *is* odd, though.
@jann Not really. (A) It came off on the taxiway, not the runway. And, more importantly, (B) the landing gear sees some of the heaviest use of any equipment on the plane. But also, if I recall correctly, that plane was like 30 years old, so it's definitely not the manufacturer's fault at that point.
I do believe some airlines, however, skimp on maintenance to keep prices low, and they are getting off the hook way too easy while everyone yells at Boeing.
@jann As a pilot myself, they are very much not 😁 . Runway is a danger zone. Taxiways are safe and slow.
@LouisIngenthron My only point was that it was on a path to taking off. Runway is what I thought I read on CNN...
@jann Well, yeah. When it's at the gate, it's stationary, so no wheels would fall off, and when it's flying, the gear is stowed, so no wheels would fall off. The little bit of time it's driving on the ground in between would be when that sort of mechanical failure reveals itself. Better that it fall off on a taxiway preparing to take off than right after landing.
And, again, this isn't unheard of. A commercial jet tire exploded last year. Nobody was hurt then either.
These planes are built with all kinds of redundant systems and safety features that ensure, when they do inevitably fail like all mechanical systems do, nobody gets hurt.
And that's what's important. You can't prevent every mechanical failure, but you can make sure they don't cost lives.
@LouisIngenthron runway/taxiway, same thing for me.