Lots of failures of front of engine/cowling on airliners these days

[icepac]

I'm pretty sure the missing blade is the result of ingesting some of the cowling.

I'm now pretty sure I was wrong.

[Vraciu]

Heh. 

Clever readers might surmise that Puma44 knows a thing or two about Southwest and its aeroplanes.

Just a guess, you understand....

- oldman

He does, though I don't pretend to speak for him.   And he's right.   My dad was a Captain there as well.   It's not the family it used to be, but they still do a good job.

[DaveBB]

It a good thing you aren’t a cynic, otherwise I would raise a very large BS Flag.  Southwest has THE FINEST maintenance technicians in the industry.  Each and everyone of them has skin in this game.  They all travel on company jets.  Their family members travel on company jets.  They all, myself included, will go out of their way to fly Southwest vs a brand X airlines because of Southwest’s sterling safety record.  A very large part of that is because of our maintainers.  In my 20 years of experience, there’s never been an instance of a mechanic short cutting anything.  On the contrary, they won’t hesitate to take a jet out of service if it isn’t up to par.  Southwest doesn’t do any “poorly trained” anything, at any level.  So, choose your words carefully.

Who performs the nondestructive inspection of Southwest airlines airframes and engines?  I can't find the article now, but I read that it was contracted out to two separate companies. 

Looks like the FAA ordered Southwest to inspect all its engines with ultrasound.  4 hours per engines.  Still couldn't find whether Southwest performs this itself or contracts it to smaller companies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/business/southwest-airlines-accident.html

[guncrasher]

One death in an overrun in Chicago.  The plane hit a car on the perimeter road.

One death after an attempted takeover of the cockpit.  Passengers subdued the man leading to his death.

Then this one.

After 47 years of flying and the massive number of cycles they've generated that's borderline miraculous.

i stand corrected but i was more like referring to a full plane going down for whatever reasons.


semp

[Vraciu]

i stand corrected but i was more like referring to a full plane going down for whatever reasons.


semp

Wasn't correcting you.  Just expanding on the theme a bit.   

[ACE]

Southwest doesn’t ever compromise safety.  It’s the number one priority every day, every flight.

Painting with a broad brush there.  Southwest didn't compile their excellent safety record by chance or by cutting corners. 

Maybe I should have been more clear. I’m not pointing fingers. It’s just the sad truth of our world. Profits over safety is a direction we do not need to head. Someone sadly has to be a example.

[Puma44]

Maybe I should have been more clear. I’m not pointing fingers. It’s just the sad truth of our world. Profits over safety is a direction we do not need to head. Someone sadly has to be a example.

Southwest is not that example.  Again, SAFETY FIRST, every flight, every day.  That’s the Southwest culture.

[ACE]

Southwest is not that example.  Again, SAFETY FIRST, every flight, every day.  That’s the Southwest culture.

Just heard that SWA cancelled several flights to do intrusive testing. Bravo. Should have done it sooner.

[Vraciu]

Just heard that SWA cancelled several flights to do intrusive testing. Bravo. Should have done it sooner.

What do you want them to do, ground the entire -700 fleet on a whim?

They’re acting prudently.   

The blade failure does not concern me in and of itself.  That happens.  Can’t be avoided.  What concerns me is how something can hit a passenger window seven rows back.  That’s a certification issue.

[Puma44]

Just heard that SWA cancelled several flights to do intrusive testing. Bravo. Should have done it sooner.

How would you predict sooner?

[Vraciu]

How would you predict sooner?

People get killed on airplanes.  Time to just ban them all.  That will solve the problem.

 

[pembquist]

Agreed, people are the problem, get rid of them!

[Puma44]

Or, make it illegal for mechanical things to fail.🤪

[ACE]

How would you predict sooner?

Proper preventative maintenance. In my field and our family business we sign contracts with companies to do PM. We take several hours per unit and groom it with a fine tooth comb. Why wouldn’t they do that in airplanes?  This. Shouldn’t. Ever. Happen. As mr V said how does it go 7 rows back. That’s crazy.

[colmbo]

That’s a certification issue.

Seems like more of an airflow issue.   Does certification cover things like cowling parts/aircraft separation?

Stuff happens.  I had a glove come out of a meat bombs jumpsuit and fly back to jam between the elevator mass balance and the end of the stab which locked that elevator up right the heck now.