Thoughts on the Southwest Airlines Incident

[Wadcutter]

I’m supposed to fly from NYC to San Diego in a few weeks and I am seriously considering canceling my trip. That particular engine that suffered metal fatigue and blew a fan blade on that SWA 737 causing a catastrophic engine failure is the same engine that is on over 8,000 other airliners they said in the news. How the heck are they going to inspect 8,000 engines in any reasonable amount of time? Sure makes me wonder if flying commercial is safe right now. How the heck can a fan blade just separate from the hub and blow an engine like that? Isn’t there some routine inspection of these fan blades on a regular schedule to prevent this kind of thing? This incident has really shaken my confidence in the airline industry, especially if they discover this was the result of some knucklehead mechanic at SWA not doing his job properly.

[robj144]

Wasn't that the first fatality on an airline in something like 10 years though? I think you're fine.

[Otterhound]

Shall we get down to brass tacks ?
Generalities serve no useful purpose .
That engine was only on 1 aircraft .
Catastrophic failures are exceedingly rare and deaths from them even more so .
The day after Christmas , all 8 lugs broke off of the right rear of my one truck while traveling at 75 MPH on I-95 .
I was unaware of the specific nature of the situation and , fortunately , did not do the wrong thing . This may have saved lives .
Point being that this will not prevent me from using a motor vehicle .
Back in 1993 , while at Daytona in a practice session , I returned to the pits at the end and noticed a slot in my beautiful carbon fiber front fender . Apparently , a wheel weight had dislodged and flew wild . Wheel weights are lead just like a bullet . Fortunately , it harmlessly passed through the front fender , not the carbon gas tank or me . This did not stop me from racing .
You need to make a decision . Hopefully , you will not base it on an irrational fear .

[Brucebubs]

My late Dad was Air Force.
I remember him saying, "Always get a seat right up back."
"Why?" I asked him.
"Because that's the last bit to hit the ground."


Have you seen the film 'Rainman' with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise?
QANTAS

[Wadcutter]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

My late Dad was Air Force.
I remember him saying, "Always get a seat right up back."
"Why?" I asked him.
"Because that's the last bit to hit the ground."


Have you seen the film 'Rainman' with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise?
QANTAS

Brucebubs, My Dad had a saying he referred to when asked about flying. He said and I quote: "Airplanes are man made and subject to failure." Indeed.

[Looburst]

I fly to LA on Sunday with SW and I'm not the least bit worried. If it's my time, it's my time, nothing you can do about that.

[SMan]

You are more likely to get hit by a texting driver on the way to the airport.

[buddyhu]

While it is understandable that you might feel more fearful in the wake of such an accident, you have to decide how to respond to that fear.

If I were you, it is quite unlikely that I would let that fear affect my decisions about flying. Some of the other posts (appropriately) point out that the risk of dying in an airplane is not very great, and that the recent accident does not change the risk in an appreciable way.

But you need to make your own decision.

[SpiderTrap]

Most not involved with aviation dont realize , many aircraft still flying were built in the 80s . Small aircraft go back to the 1960s or earlier . The F15 Fighter I think is still flying built in 1975 . Aluminum corrodes easily especially around other type metals , add continuous flexing of wings , areas inspectors can't see, metal fatigue , and law of physics , nothing lasts forever , woman pilot did a tremendous job , especially when I heard they landed at 190 mph...engine explosions are very rare. I was in aviation for 32 years and was always dubious of 2 engine aircraft . I think the 727 was the safest passenger jet ever built . Im seeing many old small aircraft crashing lately , mostly because they are worn out , they may look good on the outside , but who knows how many cracks are on the inside ? I always tended to try to keep my feet on the ground .

[Larry Pattis]

Originally Posted by SMan

You are more likely to get hit by a texting driver on the way to the airport.

MUCH more likely...

Originally Posted by buddyhu

While it is understandable that you might feel more fearful in the wake of such an accident, you have to decide how to respond to that fear.

<<snip>>

Indeed.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by SMan

You are more likely to get hit by a texting driver on the way to the airport.

THIS! End of.

[fazool]

This is the problem with media spreading sensationalized fear.

[Ozzy the dog]

I read that this was the first fatality on a flight in the US since 2009.

Yesterday, 100 people died on US roads.
Today, 100 people will die on US roads.
Tomorrow........

The sky is the safest place to be.

The unusual thing here is that the fan blade hit the fuselage. They usually get swallowed by the engine or fly free.

Listening to the recording of the pilot reporting the incident was quite reassuring. She was incredibly calm and matter of fact and was always completely in control. Another ex - military pilot.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by SMan

You are more likely to get hit by a texting driver on the way to the airport.

And even much less likely to have an airline incident happen at cruising altitude like it did here. What happened there to that engine is about as catastrophic as it can get, short of coming loose from the wing (DC-10 Chicago O'Hare 30+ years ago).
And then consider the results, just one unfortunate fatality. She was in row 17, even less likely a place for getting hit this kind of engine fault. (Row 7 has no windows because it's the most likely place to get hit in an extreme case, acc. to the experts.).
Add to that the quality of the pilots flying on these major airlines. Talk about a cool performance under the most intense of heat. I'm thinking there are a lot more potential Sullys and Tammie Jos flying these planes than we ever think about, but we'll probably never find out, because they'll never have to face that kind of catastrophic situation. But nice to know these are the kinds of individuals at the controls. These people are good at what they do.
I think it's normal that you would feel afraid at this time, but, once you rationalize the whole thing I'm sure you'll get on board and feel better about reaching your destination.
Good maintenance protocols are such an important component to the excellent flying stats. Every accident or mishap is a learning experience. I'm sure that checking for metal fatigue in the engine compartment will now figure a lot more prominently in the normal routines.
Some airlines are worse than others though in this regard, and flying older inventory, even used hand me downs from other airlines. Southwest is one of the good ones though.
I wouldn't worry if I were you, and I wouldn't change airlines.

[philo426]

My first thought was that it sucked in a Bird but not at crusing altitude.I thought turbine blades are titanium but nothing can be concluded until the engine is evaluated by experts.