Thai airline flight makes emergency landing in Phuket

[hotchilli]

6 minutes ago, IsaanT said:

 

This is a valid and correct point.  As a pilot, I was interested in putting it into context.

As you probably know, pilots like to talk in V-speeds.  In this scenario we will use V1, Vr and V2.

 

V1 is the take-off commit speed (typically because there isn't enough runway remaining to stop, that sort of thing...)

Vr is the speed that rotation commences (rotation is when the nosewheel lifts off the runway but the main wheels are still in contact with the runway)

V2 is the safe minimum take-off speed.  A multi-engine airliner can continue the take-off and climb if an engine fails at or above this speed.

 

I'll use an Airbus A320 for this example, s a typical popular airliner:

 

- V1 is between 130-150 knots (dependent on aircraft weight, weather and runway conditions)

- Vr is between 135 and 155 knots (dependencies as above)

- V2 is between 140 and 160 knots.

 

Unsurprisingly, each of these events occur in sequence - V1, Vr then V2.

 

The bottom line is that there is typically 10 knots difference between V1 (there's no turning back) and V2 (we're OK to continue).  In an A320, this typically takes one second.

 

So, next time you're hurtling down the runway and the nose starts to rise, you might hold your breath.  When you feel the rumbling of the main wheels on the runway stop because you have become airborne, you can breath again (you might loudly proclaim "Thank God!" but this might confuse your fellow passengers).

 

I hope this helps. 🙂

 

Easy on the TO/GA buttons

[IsaanT]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I wonder how the passengers were even aware of this issue? It does not sound like anyone was ever in much danger. Perhaps the engine caught on fire, or was blowing out alot of smoke, easily visible to passengers? 

 

Glad everyone arrived safely. 

Engines don't usually shut down in a dignified manner.

A major cause of engine failure is ingestion of a bird.  This can cause banging, mis-fires, vibration and subsequent loss of all that noise that the engine was making only moments before.  The piilot will also have to yaw the airplane with the rudder (turn away from the dead engine side) to stop the good engine spiralling the plane into the ground, so the airplane will be crabbing along slightly sideways.

Passengers tend to notice these things.

[brfsa2]

Modern airplanes are much safer when only 1 out of 2 engines are working. The thrust, compensation and balance are all automatically handled by the computers. It would be impossible for the pilots to do that on the fly. They just need to fly the airplane with less available power and maneuverability.

with only 1 engine:

Pilots just need to be aware and trained of performance limitations.
They need to plan a higher approach speed than normal, low speed with 1 engine can be very dangerous.
Longer runway needed for landing roll due to reduced reverse thrust.

[Samh]

7 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

I'm bloody sure that I would be very worried if I looked out of any plane window, and saw an engine not working....at 30k feet!

 

How would you know it wasn't working?

[Samh]

3 hours ago, black tabby12345 said:

 

That is the meaning of the plural engines, isn't it?

Already at the time of WW2, some B-17 bombers came back alive to the base in UK on single engine(3 others destroyed during air-to-air combat over Nazi air space).

 

Right but they jettisoned their bombs, threw the guns and radios out to save weight. Throwing passengers with their carry on out might be a problem.

[Spamhead]

11 hours ago, HK MacPhooey said:

If the crew didn’t complete the journey the number of take offs to landings would not be equal which is not good.
 

Depending at what point in the flight the engine fails the airline’s default policy is usually to return to home base due to the logistics of trying to replace an engine at an outstation or diversion airport - either way the safety of the aircraft is paramount.

I believe most airlines would say the safety of the passengers and crew was paramount