Compressor stall blamed for 777 engine problem

[undatc]

http://www.komonews.com/news/44319637.html

http://www.komonews.com/home/video/44023192.html

By KOMO Staff
SEA-TAC AIRPORT, Wash. -- Officials said a compressor stall is to blame for an engine problem that forced an Asiana Airlines flight to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Sea-Tac last week.

Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said the incident involving the Boeing 777 jet was not caused by a birdstrike.

Asiana Flight 271 took off on April 29 bound for Seoul, South Korea with 179 passengers and 16 crew on board. Several witnesses on the ground near the airport said as the plane was ascending, they heard several loud explosions and flames shooting out of the left engine.

The plane dumped fuel over Puget Sound before landing without incident at about 3:30 p.m. and taxiing to the gate.

No one was injured and there were no major delays for other flights.

There was talk in the news, that the state ecology department was actually going to fine the airline as well as the pilot for 'polluting' the Puget Sound.  Can you imagine, on climb out with several hundred people in the back, you lose one of your engines, and not only have to worry about keeping your plane in the air, but also if you're going to face fines for doing so.   

Last I heard they wern't going to levy the fines, but geesh, even to consider it. 

[Baradium]

Back when Meigs field was still in operation, I remember a story of a corporate jet doing something like that.  They DID get fined IIRC

[Ragwing]

They said that if they found the engine failed due to poor maintenance, they would apply the fine.
Sometimes, you have to teach company executives that maintenance matters.

Glad to hear they backed off on the fine.  Nothing like stigma for a pilot.

[G-man]

Glad to hear they backed off on the fine.  Nothing like stigma for a pilot.

Agreed---Takes a brave man to go with his feelings, dump fuel and land. The company lost some money, yeah the pilot loses some face, but I personally do NOT think he should.

EVERYONE went home.

My number one rule.

[undatc]

Glad to hear they backed off on the fine.  Nothing like stigma for a pilot.

Agreed---Takes a brave man to go with his feelings, dump fuel and land. The company lost some money, yeah the pilot loses some face, but I personally do NOT think he should.

EVERYONE went home.

My number one rule.

My sentiment exactly.  Much kudo's to this guy, his crew, and the guys at S46.

[Ragwing]

For those who did not read the details.

Our EPA hired a helicopter from a local firm to fly over the area so that  they could see if there was a sheen on the water ponds and small lakes.
They determined that there was a sheen - Meaning fuel on the bodies of water.
They determined that these hundreds of bodies of water did not have sufficient fuel on them to warrant any skimming or absorption methods.

Thus part of the proposed fine was to pay for the rental helicopter.
We are talking about hundreds of square miles to inspect.
 

[Rooster Cruiser]

Thus part of the proposed fine was to pay for the rental helicopter.
We are talking about hundreds of square miles to inspect.

Man, this is bad news!  They weren't attempting to fine them for willful or negligent pollution... they were going to fine them so they could get more money to spend!   

The EPA is supposed to be a regulatory agency that oversees the environmental health of the USA.  A healthy environment helps make for a healthy citizenry.  By doing what they did, they have exposed themselves for what they are:  Greedy, Blood-sucking bureaucrats that are little different from Mafioso.

Enough of my anti-government rant.  I get off my soap box and apologize to everyone.  Now back to our regular programming.

RC

[Ragwing]

Oops, EPA, not Ecology Department......
  777 dumping fuel in preparation to land.
SEATTLE - The Washington Ecology Department says it won't fine Asiana Airlines for dumping about 5,000 gallons of fuel over Puget Sound before an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Ecology spills program manager Dale Jensen said Wednesday that the fuel dump was to help safely land the plane and save lives. He said the pilot had to act quickly during the April 29 emergency, including lightening the plane for emergency landing.

It's unclear how much fuel reached the water.

The Boeing 777 had taken off from Sea-Tac on a flight to Seoul when witnesses reported several loud explosions and flames shooting out of the left engine. The plane spent about 30 minutes circling over Puget Sound, dumping fuel to make the plane lighter for landing.

It then landed safely and none of the 192 people on board were injured.

Sea-Tac spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt has said preliminary indications are that a compressor stall caused the engine problem.