747 Engine Failure On Thai Airways Flight Tg116 5:15 Bankok To Chang Mai

[aussieron]

By the way, the far left engine failed about 15 minutes after take off on my flight to chang mai from BKK. There was a loud bang and a quick turbulence type jolt, then there was a smell of electrical fire through the business class cabin where I was sitting. Immediately the vessel lost altitude and veered left and down. It did this a few times confirming that something was definitely wrong. Actually REALLY scary, because I did not know what had happened, but sensed something was seriously wrong. The flight attendant call buttons were being pressed by a lot of concerned passengers. Then the pilot came on and said they would immediately return to BKK, and I started praying. When we got to the ground the fire trucks and mechanics shot out. We were lead off the plane and back to the gate where we were eventually put on another plane within the hour. It really is amazing how the plane corrected itself for the loss of power. Overall, I think the whole situation was handled VERY well and in a very professional manner. Thai airways did a great job and the pilots brought us back very softly. I wonder what happened to the engine, and I hope TA is taking good care of their fleet. WHEW!

Edited February 3, 2010 by aussieron

[rIKmAN]

My worst nightmare....

Glad you are OK, it`s not too often these things ends happily!

[Sabre]

My worst nightmare....

Glad you are OK, it`s not too often these things ends happily!

Actually your chances of surviving an air crash these days are pretty good. In fact about 90% of air crashes are survivable.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/200.../02/2206083.htm

[brianw]

Any one know how old are thai air 747 s

[Tywais]

Any one know how old are thai air 747 s

Average fleet age is 12 years and appears the 747 is 13.7 years. Fleet Age

Age per specific aircraft

[Rinrada]

I"m sure that the Bangkok - London banger (747) was in the Battle of Britain.

[chetumaire]

747 can fly no problem on 2 engines, in fact 1 engine, and like anything mechanical there is sometimes a problem. Pilots are trained for this rare occurrence. If it were a 777 l would be more concerned.

The Boeing 777 is designed to fly for at least 3 hours on one engine for a distance up to 1320 nautical miles or 2110 kilometers.

[goldfinger]

would be interesting to know, when a 747 had it´s last big accident

and when the last Airbus....

(new equipment is not always a guarantee for proper function)

Edited February 3, 2010 by goldfinger

[needforspeed]

Amazing Thailand, to organize a other airplane within 1 hour.

Did all the passengers took the second plane or where there some passengers in a shock and would fly.

Also i would like to know it there was any explanation about this incident by Thai Airways after you arrived at the terminal?

[IMA_FARANG]

You say 15 min after takeoff? Had fasten seat beat sign been turned off yet? Or were you still climbing to flight altitude with fasten seat belt light still on?

Just wondering.

[pallypete]

never fear.

a lot of big planes (airbuses/boeings etc) are built with rolls royce engines,like others have said a jumbo (747) can easily fly on 1 engine.

my brothers worked at rolls royce for over 20 years,a lot of that time as an engine tester/fitter,he assures me we would be safe,none the less im still petrified of flying!

[thornybird]

I've been led to believe that these sorts of incidents only occur on low cost carriers and absolutely never on full service airlines.

Signed, AirAsia Fan

[CMX]

"The Boeing 777 is designed to fly for at least 3 hours on one engine for a distance up to 1320 nautical miles or 2110 kilometers."

Personally, I hope that the engine that survives is the one with 1320 nautical miles in it.

[bdenner]

Although this incident is not mentioned (because of time zones it will probably go in tomorrow) there were 5 Aircraft engine problems reported world wide YESTERDAY, no big deal ALL planes landed safely. Incidence Reports

Edited February 4, 2010 by bdenner

[aussieron]

Amazing Thailand, to organize a other airplane within 1 hour.

Did all the passengers took the second plane or where there some passengers in a shock and would fly.

Also i would like to know it there was any explanation about this incident by Thai Airways after you arrived at the terminal?

Actually, I think everyone got on the second plane, and there was no explanation as to why the engine failed, but it was too soon to tell. It takes some time for the experts to go over the engine. I asked one of the reps and he said "maybe it was a bird".

Also, I don't think anyone was outwardly panicked during or after the incident, but that was due to the way it was handled by the flight crew. However there was a VERY tense few minutes right after the bang. People were starting to look out of their windows in a sort of "pre panic". After we got in at first I was like..there is no way Im flying again tonight, but then I thought about the chances of being in an "incident" two times in one night. I think that it is like 30,000,000 to one?! since it would be like 15,000,000 to one to go down from a bird strike in mid air in a 747.

Edited February 4, 2010 by aussieron

[rfukata]

good to hear of the professionalism (crews) and safe return, as well as customer service which arranged a new aircraft for your destination.

The 747 is a great aircraft - it's not going to drop easily (unless the pilot) is unexperienced. Luckily the engine didn't fail upon

the take off lift... then the pilots would have been scrambling full thrust to keep the aircraft up and stabilizing the list of balance.

It's always better to have 4 engines (747) than 3, 2, or one engine especially on take off or landing.

[thornybird]

"ALL planes landed safely"

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good(?) story.

[aussieron]

You say 15 min after takeoff? Had fasten seat beat sign been turned off yet? Or were you still climbing to flight altitude with fasten seat belt light still on?

Just wondering.

It was off, I am not 100% about what the flight time was. He actually kept sounding the fasten seatbelt sign several times. The shortly after the engine failed, the pilot came on and said that we would immediately turn around and go back to bankok and land within 5 minutes, which I thought was really fast, but maybe he sped up the plane to get us back fast. It was also a little unsettling because it makes you think that there may have have been no way to make it another 40 minutes to Chang Mai.

[anjing]

Last Year I was on a 747 Thai Flight to Phuket which turned around and returned to Bangkok after 20 minutes in the sir. Had an oil leak. Again Thai had us sorted and on our way with only about an hour's delay on the ground. The crew were great there was no panic from them but there were a few rather hysterical ladies when we disembarked in Bangkok.

[gamini]

747 can fly no problem on 2 engines, in fact 1 engine, and like anything mechanical there is sometimes a problem. Pilots are trained for this rare occurrence. If it were a 777 l would be more concerned.

But not when they are actually climbing. The first 35 seconds after take-off are critical. If any of the engines fail during this period the chances of a crash are very high. After 15 minutes it is a minor problem if one engine fails. If two go then the pilot has a big problem and needs a lot of skill and maneuverings to land the plane safely, but they normally do.

[Trickcyclist]

Hurrah for 4 engined aircraft!

[Jonathanpattaya]

747 can fly no problem on 2 engines, in fact 1 engine, and like anything mechanical there is sometimes a problem. Pilots are trained for this rare occurrence. If it were a 777 l would be more concerned.

The Boeing 777 is designed to fly for at least 3 hours on one engine for a distance up to 1320 nautical miles or 2110 kilometers.

Known as ETOPS.

ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards, an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rule permitting twin-engined commercial air transporters to fly routes that, at some points, are farther than a distance of 60 minutes' flying time from an emergency or diversion airport with one engine inoperative.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Jonathanpattaya

[JUDAS]

The title reminded me of the following incident: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9 I caught a lengthy radio interview with the captain of this flight many years ago, amazingly calm guy!!

[harrry]

Give me a 747 any day.....as long as it stays out of Indonesian airspace.

[theoldgit]

It was also a little unsettling because it makes you think that there may have have been no way to make it another 40 minutes to Chang Mai.

I think you will find that it was an operational decision to return to Bangkok as, I believe, that's where Thai service their aircraft.

Pretty sure it could have made it safely to Chiang Mai though, I don't envy you your experience.

[Crossy]

ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards

Nah, amongst the crews it's "Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim"

[geriatrickid]

Landing a 747 overweight is a dangerous decision and one they only do if it is a serious problem. Brakes overheat and the tyres will often go flat. Requires alot of skill to pull it off. Maybe a bird strike.

At TG, the pilots on the 747 tend to be the older experienced and best qualified personnel, so score one for the legacy airline.

[bkkjames]

It was also a little unsettling because it makes you think that there may have have been no way to make it another 40 minutes to Chang Mai.

I think you will find that it was an operational decision to return to Bangkok as, I believe, that's where Thai service their aircraft.

Pretty sure it could have made it safely to Chiang Mai though, I don't envy you your experience.

Pretty sure the standard procedure in case of an incident is to land at your nearest possible airport that can handle you.

[NearestTheTee]

Flying Thai down to Singapore next week and the schedule shows it will be a 777. I hope its in better condition than the 747 and gets there without any technical issues

[H2oDunc]

They fly 747 jumbo jets from BKK to CM ? I thought the Jumbo was a long haul airoplane not a short haul. Do that many people want to go to CM ? A little confused here