AND THEY CERTAINLY ARE TOO.
SO FOR MORE ON WHAT CAUSED THAT
ENGINE TO PEEL OFF, LET’S BRING
IN COMMERCIAL PILOT, ROBERT
MOORE.
SO ROBERT, WE HEARD WHAT THE
PASSENGERS SAID.
A WHITE FLASH, A BIG BANG AND WE
SAW THE VIDEO, BLACK SMOKE
TRAILING FROM THE DAMAGED
ENGINE.
WAS IT AN EXPLOSION?
WHAT DO YOU THINK APPEARS TO
HAVE HAPPENED HERE?
>> IT WAS CERTAINLY AN
EXPLOSION, ERIC.
THAT’S WHAT BLEW THE KOWLING
OFF.
THE FAN, THE PART THAT MOST
PEOPLE SEE WHEN IT’S ON THE
GROUND IN FRONT SEEMS TO HAVE
REMAINED INTACT.
AT THIS POINT WE’RE NOT SURE
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED OR WHY
BUT, AGAIN, THE MAIN CONCERN FOR
ME WOULD HAVE BEEN THAT SOME OF
THOSE PIECES OF THE COW
LOOKERRING THAT LEFT AND HIT THE
GROUND COULD HAVE GONE THE OTHER
WAY AND COME THROUGH THE CABIN
AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A
CHAOTIC SITUATION.
ERIC: THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT
HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO,
SOUTHWEST 737 HAD A PIECE OF A
FAN BLADE BROKE OFF, PIERCED A
WINDOW, KILLED A WOMAN, SADLY.
>> THAT’S TRUE.
THIS TIME THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL
DOWN IN A LOW ALTITUDE SO THE
PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL ITSELF
WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN A BIG
DIFFERENCE BUT THE PROBLEM WOULD
HAVE BEEN IF IT HAD COME THROUGH
THE CABIN AND HIT SOMEBODY.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY BAD.
ERIC: YEAH.
LOOK AT THIS VIDEO.
WE’RE TAKING A LOOK AT THE
DAMAGED ENGINE RIGHT NOW.
THEY ARE, THOUGH, DESIGNED, ARE
THEY NOT -- I MEAN, THIS IS A
TESTAMENT IN A SENSE TO THE
SAFETY OF THE WAY AIRCRAFT ARE
DESIGNED AS WELL AS THE SKILL
AND TRAINING OF THE PILOTS THAT
IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, THE
ENGINE DOESN’T FALL OFF, DOESN’T
BLOW UP THE WHOLE PLANE.
>> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
THAT’S WHY I THINK THERE’S AS
MUCH MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS LAST
18 HOURS AS THERE IS, BECAUSE
THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN
AND IT’S BECAUSE THE FAA, THE
NTSB AND THE INDUSTRY, THE
MANUFACTURERS, THE AIRLINES,
HAVE GONE THROUGH SUCH
INCREDIBLE EFFORTS OVER THE LAST
20 YEARS TO TRY TO MAKE AIR
TRAVEL AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
ERIC: THIS DID HAPPEN TWO YEARS
AGO, SIMILAR TRIPLE 7, UNITED
AIRLINES, BOEING 777 DEPARTING
FROM SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT TO HONOLULU, ON DESCENT
THAT TRIPLE 7 SUFFERED AN ENGINE
SURGE AND A COMPRESSOR STALL.
AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED.
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS A
REPEAT OF A POTENTIAL ENGINE
SURGE AND COMPRESSION STALL AND
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT
MEANS?
>> WELL, IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY
HARD TO -- WHAT THEY’LL DO, WHEN
THE AIRPLANE IS TOWED TO THE
HANGAR, WHICH I’M SURE IT’S BEEN
BY NOW, THEY’LL REMOVE THE
ENGINE FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND
TAKE IT APART PIECE BY PIECE AND
I THINK THAT WILL REALLY GIVE US
THE BEST INDICATION OF WHAT
HAPPENED.
BUT I THINK THAT COMPRESSOR
STALL OR NO, THE MOST IMPORTANT
ASPECT IS THAT THE ENGINE HUNG
TOGETHER.
THE EXPLOSION, WHATEVER IT WAS,
CAUSED THE COWLING TO GO BUT THE
ENGINE STAYED INTACT AND AGAIN,
THAT’S WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO
NORMALLY, THE COWLING IS
SUPPOSED TO STAY THERE TOO BUT
IN THIS CASE IT WASN’T THAT BIG
A DEAL.
ERIC: BY THE WAY, THE 777
2018, IT ACTUALLY TOOK OFF LAST
NIGHT AT 7:00 FROM DENVER TO
HONOLULU AND IN ABOUT TWO HOURS
FROM NOW THAT PLANE THAT HAD THE
INCIDENT IN 2018 IS GOING TO FLY
FROM HONOLULU UP TO SAN
FRANCISCO.
SO IT DOES SHOW THAT THEY CAN GO
THROUGH THIS AND ANALYZE THE
SITUATION AND IN THAT CASE THE
ENGINE FAN BLADE RIPPED OFF.
FINALLY, ROBERT, IS THEY
ANYTHING MORE THAT THE INDUSTRY
CAN DO TO PREVENT THESE IN TERMS
OF INSPECTION, HAIRLINE CRACKS
OR ARE WITH AT THE POINT WHERE
THEY DO AS MUCH AS THEY CAN DO
AND THIS SOMETIMES OCCASIONALLY
HAPPENS?
>> I THINK I’M NOT A MECHANIC,
I’M NOT AN ENGINEER, I JUST
DRIVE THESE THINGS.
BUT I THINK THAT YOU NEED TO
CONTINUE TO TRAIN THE PILOTS AND
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND WE
DON’T WANT TO MAKE SHORTCHANGE
OF THE ROLE THE FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK HAD FOR
TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE CALM AND
KEEP THEM SAFE DURING THIS
EMERGENCY BUT ALSO WITH THE
MECHANICS ON THE GROUND, THERE’S
NO ROOM FOR SKIPPING STEPS OR
SAYING, WELL, WE’LL GET TO IT
LATER OR MAYBE IT WILL COST TOO
MUCH.
WE DON’T DO THAT NORMALLY AND I
THINK EVEN THOUGH THE ECONOMY
AND THE FLYING INDUSTRY HAS
SUFFERED A PRETTY AWFUL BLOW IN
THE LAST YEAR, WE HAVE TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE DON’T CHANGE
ANYTHING BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WE
WILL KEEP THE PUBLIC SAFE.
HOWIE: AND WHEN WE GET ON BOARD
THE NEXT FLIGHT, BE SURE TO TIP
YOUR HAT AND THANK THE COPILOTS
AND THE PILOTS AND THE FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ERIC: THEY DO A REMARKABLE JOB.
THEY ARE TRAINED FOR THIS, TO
KEEP US SAFE AND THEY DO THAT.