A Qantas Boeing 747-400, registration VH-OJP performing flight QF-74 (dep Aug 30th) from San Francisco,CA (USA) to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 212 passengers and 19 crew, was climbing through FL250 about 20 minutes into the flight, when the #4 engine (RB211, outer right hand) suffered an uncontained failure ripping a large hole into the outer engine cowling approximately abeam the turbine rotors. The crew shut the engine down, descended the aircraft to FL200, dumped fuel overhead the Pacific Ocean and returned to San Francisco for a safe landing about 80 minutes after departure.
Qantas said, the engine needs to be replaced.
By: steve rowell - 9th September 2010 at 08:20
Slow news day
Jesus wept man..when the QF 744 landed in the philippines after an oxygen tank exploded in the hold blowing a hole in the fuselage.. it made news all over the world..the only difference with this QF 744 incident is the location of the hole which was in the engine cowl..both very scary news worthy incidents
By: symon - 4th September 2010 at 14:25
Of course an engine failure on a twin engine aircraft is safe, that’s why we have ETOPS/EDTO.
However, I’m not sure I’d feel all too comfortable flying in a twin engine aircraft, on one engine, for 3 hours.
By: Ship 741 - 3rd September 2010 at 19:17
In fact 4 engine airplanes have a greater chance of engine failure than twins…..twice as great as a matter of fact. Thats one of the reasons that quads divert more than twins……:)
By: Bmused55 - 3rd September 2010 at 13:59
The number of engines would not have made a difference in this case.
Plenty twins suffer engine failures and make it back just fine.
By: symon - 3rd September 2010 at 12:10
Very lucky indeed. Hooray for 4 engined aircraft with plenty of back-ups!
By: KabirT - 3rd September 2010 at 02:51
PAN-PAN is a distress signal.
By: Smith - 3rd September 2010 at 02:40
PAN?
Just listened to these excerpts between QF74 and the Control Tower. We hear the pilot declare a PAN. What is a PAN?
TaVM
By: nJayM - 2nd September 2010 at 22:58
Lucky passengers and praise to a competent flight crew
Lucky passengers and praise to a competent flight crew.
All safely back on tera firma.
Looking at the picture, it could have been much worse if it had been the starboard inside engine, as high velocity fragments could have caused a whole lot more serious damage to the starboard outer engine too.
By: Ship 741 - 2nd September 2010 at 13:02
Thanks for posting the picture.
Uncontained engine failures are always big news to those who care about the industry and really follow things. This is NEVER supposed to happen. Its quite rare for established engines. Thank God the chunks departed away from the airframe, and the other wing engine.
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd September 2010 at 07:45
Perhaps, but not if you were on the flight.
By: Bmused55 - 1st September 2010 at 12:40
Slow news day
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September 1, 2010 at 5:14 am