Questions tagged [engine-failure]

An engine failure occurs when one or more engines on an aircraft stop functioning normally. This is often assumed to mean a complete loss of power from the engine, but partial power loss and excess power are also engine failures.

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Is it even remotely feasible to turnback a single engine aircraft with an engine failure?

Note before reading further that I'm asking this question purely on theoretical grounds, though you are more than welcome to talk about practical aspects as well. Now, my question. It's common ...
Qantas 94 Heavy's user avatar
51 votes
3 answers
18k views

Can the A380 ferry an extra engine, like the 747?

A useful little quirk about the 747 is that it can ferry a fifth engine on the wing, for when another aircraft is stranded somewhere in the world. Does the A380 have the same capability? If not, how ...
Ben's user avatar
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25 votes
9 answers
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Why should you not turn in the direction of an inoperative engine?

In two-engine aircraft with wing-mounted engines when one engine quits the aircraft will have a natural tendency to turn to the dead engine. So if you need to turn, it seems logical it should be ...
Jan Hudec's user avatar
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3 votes
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Why are movable rocket thrusters not used in airplanes?

If an engine fails in a passenger airplane, why can't it have movable rocket thrusters in the wings to help safely land the airplane?
Thangaraj Sundaramoorthy's user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
9k views

Can the APU provide emergency thrust?

By David Monniaux (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.0 fr], via Wikimedia Commons Many larger airplanes have gas turbine APUs (auxiliary power units). It seems that their exhaust is ...
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5 votes
5 answers
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Why does a pilot bank up to 5 degrees into the operating engine following failure of the other engine?

If a multi-engine aircraft suffers an engine failure while near minimum control speed (Vmc), one of the solutions is to bank up to 5 degrees into the operating engine to increase rudder effectiveness ...
Mun Park's user avatar
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53 votes
2 answers
30k views

Can the Airbus A380 safely fly with two engines out on the same wing?

I know twin-engine jets can safely take off and fly with one engine out (i.e. all thrust only on one side). Of course quad-engine jets are also able to fly safely in case one engine is out. But is ...
florisla's user avatar
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17 votes
3 answers
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Can an aircraft continue flying and land safely following an engine failure?

Is it possible that an aircraft could continue to fly and then land safely on a single engine if another stopped working?
Hemang's user avatar
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17 votes
4 answers
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Does windmill restart often work for airliner engines?

There seems to be a certain class of airline accident where an airliner engine flames out followed by further unfortunate events. Very often, pilots are recorded as having attempted to restart a ...
Dan Sheppard's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
8k views

Why do jet engines sometimes spit out flames after ingesting birds?

After seeing this video of a 757's engine catching fire because of a bird, I wonder: What happens to the engine? Why does it periodically exhaust fire? Is this some safety feature?
Remz's user avatar
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1 answer
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How does an engine failure affect the flight of an airplane?

I'm not even close to an aviation enthusiast, but after watching some videos I found I have a deep misunderstanding on how airplanes work. . I've seen many cases where one of the engines fail and ...
Délisson Junio's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
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Why is there a maximum altitude to restart a jet engine?

On all the turbojets that I have flown the maximum altitude a pilot can attempt a restart is 30,000 FT MSL. What factors go in to deciding what the maximum altitude is for an engine restart / relight?...
wbeard52's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
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Why does the A320 right aileron float on dual engine failure?

On this question for the A320 after dual engine failure it says: When the hydraulic power is lost, the right aileron is lost, and is in the upfloat position. Why would this affect only the right ...
TomMcW's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Where can I find sample data required for Engine Condition Monitoring? [closed]

I'm trying to find some sample data required for Engine Condition Trend Monitoring to analyse and predict when an engine might fail. I went through a lot of research papers and (kind of) understood ...
Shreyas S's user avatar
81 votes
7 answers
27k views

How miraculous was the miracle on the Hudson?

The "miracle on the Hudson" was extremely unusual - dual engine failures and successful off-field landings in commercial A320-size aircraft are very rare. The event has been dramatized and the crew (...
Thomas's user avatar
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26 votes
7 answers
22k views

Can fighter aircraft glide?

In case of engine failure, do the fighter jets have such a stable airframe so that they can glide their way through to the nearest landing strip (As it happened in the case of Gimli glider)?
Amod's user avatar
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18 votes
11 answers
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Does a windmilling propeller create more drag than a stopped propeller in an engine out scenario?

For this question lets assume that we are talking about a fixed pitch propeller and not a variable pitch propeller. I do understand that variable pitch props should be feathered during an engine ...
DLH's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
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What happens if an engine fails between V1 and V2?

What happens if an engine fails between V1 and V2 on a modern twin airliner? As I understand it, at V1 you have enough runway remaining to safely stop and abort the takeoff. V2 is the lowest single ...
David Wilding's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
8k views

What are the reliability statistics for modern jet engines?

What is the actual numerical reliability statistics of the modern, large-aircraft, commercial turbofan engines available today? e.g. How many running hours can we expect a failure after? Are there ...
curious_cat's user avatar
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9 votes
7 answers
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Will the landing gear work mechanically in case of total power loss?

In case of a total power failure in all the aircraft systems like engine failure and APU failure, would it be possible to use mechanical means (manually) to open the landing gear bay door and deploy ...
Karthick's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
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What exactly is a compressor stall?

I hear the term "compressor stall" when talking about turbine engine difficulties. What exactly does this mean? And how does a pilot diagnose and fix it - specifically, would there be any changes in ...
Ben's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
765 views

Why is an outward spinning propeller better in theory on the North American F-82 Twin Mustang?

In this question the Wikipedia article of the F-82 Twin Mustang is quoted. In the third paragraph of the article it says: In this arrangement both propellers would turn upward as they approached ...
Maverick283's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
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What are autothrust and manual thrust on an A320 (or other aircraft)?

The accident report on the A319 G-EUOE incident in May 2013 mentions "manual thrust", and implies that using it is very unusual. The autothrust system failed, requiring the use of manual thrust: ...
Pondlife's user avatar
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5 votes
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If the EPU (Emergency Power Unit) on a modern fighter jet fails, will the aircraft drop out of the sky?

If the EPU (Emergency Power Unit) and batteries plus engines fail on a modern fighter aircraft, basically they will fall out of the sky, there is no dead stick landing - is this correct?
Robert's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
418 views

Is pilot alerted of any physical or structural failures?

Current crew alerting system messages, I believe, are displayed basing on the software detection of the failures basing on the sensor information. What kind of structural failures can occur to an ...
user2927392's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why does flying inverted in a jet trainer starve the engine of fuel when there's a pump?

Such planes have an engine-driven fuel pump. If the pump isn't strong enough, wouldn't suction feeding assist? How does a modern fighter jet / aerobatic plane overcome this? Also, any general ...
user avatar
28 votes
6 answers
13k views

Why not just drop an engine on fire?

I am interested in the case of Qantas Flight 32 and similar incidents, where there was a fuel leak after a number two engine explosion due to the disintegration of the turbine disc. It was a very ...
clueless007's user avatar
22 votes
5 answers
35k views

What is a Vmc roll?

Many aviation discussions of the TransAsia GE235 accident include comments like "that was a Vmc roll". What is a Vmc roll and how should you avoid it and/or recover from it?
Pondlife's user avatar
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20 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why do uncontained engine failures still occur?

One of the absolute requirements of an aircraft turbine engine (usually some sort of turbofan or turboprop) installation is that, in the event of a destructive failure of the engine, the engine ...
Vikki's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
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Would in flight engine failure of the passenger jet be reported?

A passenger plane with two or more engines would probably land without big difficulties with one engine inoperative. Would the passengers be notified, asking to take the brace position during ...
h22's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why isn't there a procedure for dual-engine failure in twin-engine airplanes?

I'm licensed to fly multi-engine aircraft. I currently fly the DA-42NG. However, nowhere in my training and in the official POH was I introduced to procedures for handing a dual-engine failure in-...
RaajTram's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
3k views

Does an A320 revert to Direct Law if both engines flame out?

In the case of a flame-out in both engines on the two-engine A320, does the aircraft revert to Direct law or does it maintain Normal Law? An example is US Airways 1549 (the landing on the Hudson).
Peter Bourne's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
3k views

How do engine manufacturers minimize damage from bird strikes?

What are the ways that engine manufacturers currently minimize the damage caused to engines in a bird strike?
Victor Juliet's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

Single engine failure in a light twin after lift-off: what to do?

In a previous question the case about if a turnback would be feasible, specifically for a single engine aircraft, has been analysed. But given a twin-engine general aviation aircraft and a single ...
Federico's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
3k views

Is a single engine failure on the HondaJet recoverable?

Is it possible to recover from a single engine failure at cruising altitude on the HondaJet and safely land the aircraft?
user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Does engine failure shut off the auto-pilot?

After answering this question it got me wondering whether there can be a situation where a complete flameout of engines could cause a serious loss of control if the auto-pilot were to continue to try ...
Trevor_G's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
2k views

What keeps an aircraft engine from flaming out at high altitude?

High altitude atmosphere has lower oxygen level. How do aircraft, especially the military ones, prevent engine flameout?
user10024's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can a Boeing 747 or A380 climb with only one engine?

Assume that a Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 takes off at max takeoff weight. Minutes after takeoff, 3 engines fail, leaving only 1 engine operating. Can the aircraft still achieve a positive rate of climb?...
kevin's user avatar
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8 votes
6 answers
4k views

What if you have a double-engine failure after V1 but before VR?

Imagine an A320 on the runway, starting its take off roll. The PM calls out "$V_1$". Just a second after $V_1$ is called out, and before $V_R$, you encounter a double-engine failure (an A320 ...
Ishaan Manish's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

During a takeoff emergency, is it safer to abort or continue the takeoff if either can be done within the available runway?

In a multi-engine airplane, if an engine failure occurs at the exact moment that a decision needs to be made to reject or continue the takeoff, and there is plenty of runway available to do either, ...
Lnafziger's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
6k views

How common is engine failure?

What are the failure rates for piston, turbine, and jet engines? (If more subdivisions of "engine" are necessary to make the data useful, please point them out).
Retired account's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
646 views

Does one-engine cruise consume less fuel than two-engine cruise?

Scenario 1. A two-engine airliner experiences rapid depressurization and makes an emergency descent to 10,000 ft, and diverts to the nearest airport. Scenario 2. The same two-engine airliner ...
lemonincider's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Does one have to practice engine failures in flight training?

Are engine failures practiced normally? What exactly are the reasons? Is there a particular type of failure that is required training for all pilots worldwide?
verve's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
4k views

What would happen if one of the engines failed during takeoff and other engine is on full power?

Assume the left engine failed and the right engine is at full power. The pilot has pulled his nose up and turned towards left. Is it possible for him to land the plane on a runway to his left? The ...
Ashwath Venkataraman's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
888 views

Could the Olympus 593 have been windmill-restarted during supersonic flight?

The Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 (which powered the Concorde) used a complex intake-ramp system to improve the engine's efficiency and prevent an engine shutdown or failure during supersonic flight ...
Vikki's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
796 views

Are there any aircraft where minimum-V1 is limited by Vmcg?

V1, unlike all the other Vspeeds, is not rigidly determined by the laws of physics, the aircraft’s specific abilities, and the conditions of the particular takeoff being attempted,1 but is, rather, ...
Vikki's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are aircraft certified for inflight thrust reversal required to demonstrate controllability in an asymmetric-reverse-thrust scenario?

For most jetliners, the inflight use of reverse thrust is prohibited (and often physically impossible), due to the potential for loss of control in the event of an inflight reverser deployment (a ...
Vikki's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
4k views

How does induction ice form in and affect jet engines?

Recently someone talked to me about the possibility of induction ice on the engine: He told me that because of conditions around fan and compressor blades (mainly because of pressure and temperature) ...
Kromen's user avatar
  • 625
0 votes
2 answers
244 views

Can aileron control maintain track in a single engine failure on a twin?

Let us say I am flying a twin-engine aircraft and I got a engine failure during cruise, without any control on rudder and use the ailerons only, can I still maintain the target track or heading? Will ...
VvV's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why is there no alert if shutting down a running engine during flight? [duplicate]

In reference to Flight 235, there is a lot of speculation going on today, and since the flight recorders' data indicate that the running engine was shut down manually, everyone is suspecting that ...
Hanky Panky's user avatar
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