UA 744 W/ Large Hole In Engine Nacelle/Cowling... — Tech Ops Forum

Sponsor Message:


My Starred Topics \| Profile \| New Topic \| Forum Index \| Help \| Search

UA 744 W/ Large Hole In Engine Nacelle/Cowling...

USAFHummer From United States of America, joined May 2000, 10685 posts, RR: 54
Posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2827 times:

http://s92838523.onlinehome.us/ua250803.jpg

Someone on another board took this picture on a UA 744 heading SYD-SFO on 8/25/03...any comments as to the cause or just about the situation in general?

Greg

PS. Is that technically a nacelle or a cowling?

[Edited 2004-03-07 06:18:27]

Chief A.net college football stadium self-pic guru

16 replies: All unread, jump to last

Wn700driver From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 1, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2782 times:

Birdstrike perhaps?

Either, depending on one's locale.

L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62
Reply 2, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2773 times:

The whole thing is a Nacelle and the part that covers the engine is called the cowling, so both are appropriate.

DOn't see much bird remains there, maybe a crack that finally gave way in the face of being hit by 450MPH air.

OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.

Wn700driver From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 3, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2766 times:

L-188

Wouldn't slipstream on the outside & suction on the inside carry away bird remains?

L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62
Reply 4, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2758 times:

Yeah, but there still should be blood streaks, and maybe a feather driven into that whole.

See a couple of birdstikes and there was always some evidence of it that survived.

OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.

Corey07850 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2519 posts, RR: 5
Reply 5, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2753 times:

Did they say if the engine was shut down?

Whatever caused the damage looks to have been pretty violent. I highly doubt that a bird could do that much damage, especially since it's on the top of the engine (meaning the forward speed of the plane would not compound the damage).

Wn700driver From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 6, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2750 times:

Yeh, I mean you all could be right about it not being a bird, but I just can't imagine anything much larger/denser than that doing that, and not doing a ton more damage in the process.

I guess there would be some blood, huh? My next-best guess would be debris or ice from an oncomming AC. But even that seems a bit unlikely.

L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29350 posts, RR: 62
Reply 7, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2747 times:

Well I was thinking that maybe it was a crack in the fiberglass that kept getting more and more water in it during ground stops that at altitude kept freezing and making the crack bigger and worse.

finally the airflow got under it and it let go.

OBAMA-WORST PRESIDENT EVER....Even SKOORB would be better.

Air2gxs From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 8, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 2627 times:

My guess would be an overpressure in the nacelle anti-ice system. thou I don't know the specifics of the -400 system, it would take a couple of failures to happen, the pressure regualting valave would have to fail and a blockage in the exhaust. Not unheard of, but unlikely.

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 9, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 2592 times:

Whatever caused the damage looks to have been pretty violent. I highly doubt that a bird could do that much damage, especially since it's on the top of the engine (meaning the forward speed of the plane would not compound the damage).

Don't take this as a put down, but you have a lot to learn about what a bird can do to an aircraft. That is NOTHING. I have seen leading edges completely destroyed by one song bird (just yesterday in fact). I've seen pictures of a goose that went clean through a DHC-8 leading edge...through the wing spar and ended up in the fuel tank. A Saab SF-340 that had the crown caved in and the overhead panel collapse onto the F/O by a flock of Snow Geese. A second SF-340 that hit a Snow Goose in the propeller, shot the bird through the fuselage and put a hole in the plane we could pass a basketball through....... Birds can ruin your whole day. Think of it this way..."Would you want to hit a 25lb brick at 400 miles an hour...?"

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

Musang From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2001, 754 posts, RR: 7
Reply 10, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 2561 times:

Amongst my hits, I've had one hit the crown above the centre windscreen, and the side of the nose on a couple of occasions. Saw these before impact, and none left any trace.

My point being simply that the absence of blood/feathers doesn't rule a birdstrike out.

Regards - Musang

VC-10 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 1999, 3677 posts, RR: 37
Reply 11, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 2532 times:

Support Airliners.net - become a First Class Member!

This is what Canada Geese can do.

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 12, posted (9 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 2455 times:

I've seen these photos before, including more.. and in the first photo above, the goose that made that hole went clean through and ended up in the Captain lap......!!!!!!

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

Corey07850 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2519 posts, RR: 5
Reply 13, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2390 times:

EMBQA,

I was basing my point on the angle at which the bird would've had to been traveling to cause damage on top of the engine (nearly perpendicular to the forward motion of the plane). This means that the odds of a bird diving and hitting the plane are not very good.

Also, consider the fact that the plane was traveling SYD-SFO.... not many birds flying around over the Pacific.

Oh, and I've certainly seen what birds can do to a plane, and it's not pretty! Smile

Mr.BA From Singapore, joined Sep 2000, 3423 posts, RR: 23
Reply 14, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2351 times:

Man... what kind of geese was that to do such damage!? That certainly looks very bad. How fast was the aircraft travelling at?

Boeing747 万岁!

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 15, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 2339 times:

MrBA......2 of the most common large bird strikes here in the US involve Snow Geese and Canada Geese. Both are quite large and can have up to a 70" wing span and I'll guess at 20-30lbs.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

Broke From United States of America, joined Apr 2002, 1322 posts, RR: 4
Reply 16, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 2242 times:

It appears that a composite honeycomb cell panel failed. It may have been disbonded or may have been blown open by a ruptured pneumatic duct in the nose cowl or a combination of both, my guess.

Top Of Page

Forum Index

Reply To This Topic UA 744 W/ Large Hole In Engine Nacelle/Cowling...

Username:	No username? Sign up now!
Password:	Forgot Password? Be reminded. Remember me on this computer (uses cookies)

Tech/Ops related posts only!
Not Tech/Ops related? Use the other forums
No adverts of any kind. This includes web pages.
No hostile language or criticizing of others.
Do not post copyright protected material.
Use relevant and describing topics.
Check if your post already been discussed.
Check your spelling!
DETAILED RULES

Check Spelling

Please check your spelling (press "Check Spelling" above)

Similar topics: