How United made a textbook landing while Air India crashed
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Both the United and the Air India incidents involved the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and both faced the same problem of mid-air engine shut-down too. The outcomes were starkly opposite. Although the latter lost both engines, what could have prevented a disaster.
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WASHINGTON DC/NEW DELHI, July 30: A Boeing operating Munich-bound United Airlines
flight UA108 was forced to declare a Mayday and make a turnback to Washington
Dulles airport shortly after takeoff on Friday as one of its engines developed
a snag and shut down.
Both the United and the Air India incidents involved the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
and both faced the same problem of mid-air engine shut-down too. Although the
latter lost both engines. The outcomes were starkly opposite.
The United flight took off at 5.40 pm local time. As the aircraft climbed,
the flight crew reported failure of the left engine and immediately declared
a Mayday, the distress call. Air traffic control (ATC) instructed the pilot
to stop their climb at 5,000 feet and safe separation from other air traffic
was made. It circled north-west of the airport.
As it was on a long-haul international flight, the jet was carrying full capacity
fuel and emergency landing with that weight could exceed structural limits.
The crew requested clearance to dump the fuel as per the standard procedure.
The ATC also directed the pilot to a safe holding pattern at 6,000 feet and
kept other traffic away.
After the fuel dumping, the ATC cleared the aircraft for an instrument landing
system (ILS) on runway 19. Emergency arrangements were made. It landed and the
passengers and crew disembarked safely.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation.
How Air India Boeing couldn't make it
Unlike United, the London-bound Air India Boeing crashed in Ahmedabad just
after being airborne, killing 241 passengers and crew on board. There was only
one survivor. While United faced a single engine failure Air India Boeing lost
both engines at 650 feet altitude. It crashed into the medical college building
nearby.
The takeoff and the following climb-out are the most critical periods in flight.
There is little scope for manoeuvring. Manoeuvring needs altitude.
United climbed to 5000 feet from 1000 (?) when it faced left engine shutdown
while Air India's both engines were shut down at 650 feet.
The United crew executed textbook emergency procedures, including fuel jettisoning
(to reduce weight before landing) and ILS landing.
Altitude buys time for troubleshooting, decision-making, manoeuvring and engine
recovery (Air India case). The point here to be highlighted is: Lives would
have been saved had the Boeing attained a little more altitude. Because the
system was working as seen in the video - the plane is not in vertical fall
even without the engines. It is gliding like in the miraculous Hudson river
landing (no casualties), not the vertical fall of the Ethiopian flight (all
lives lost), which lost the engines as well as the system.
At 650 feet, the Air India aircraft had less than 30 seconds gliding time before
impact, with system working and engines shut. A successful restart would have
required 10-20 seconds time and about 3,000 feet to stabilize and climb. And
more time to produce the necessary thrust to climb. Resetting the fuel switches
may have taken 10 seconds because of the startle effect on pilots.
Engine 1 (left) showed signs of recovery and engine 2 was attempting to relight.
The aircraft was already descending about to hit the ground.
Had the aircraft been at a higher altitude, even with that delay, the crew
might have had enough time to recover thrust and regain control.
The United aircraft had already climbed to about 5,000 feet when the issue
became apparent. It climbed a bit higher to 6,000 feet, which is a safer altitude
for fuel dumping.
Dumping is typically done at 6,000 feet or higher so the fuel disperses into
a fine mist and evaporates before reaching the ground. The rate depends on fuel
pressure and aircraft type. For example, a Boeing 747 might dump 1–2 tons per
minute, or use the rule of thumb: dump time = (dump weight ÷ 2) + 5 minutes.
The aircraft then entered a holding pattern northwest of Washington, where
it circled for 2 hours and 38 minutes to safely jettison fuel before landing
back at Washington Dulles Airport. The right engine remained operational, allowing
the aircraft to maintain flight and manoeuvre safely
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Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
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