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Losing an Engine on Takeoff: Abort or Floor It?
Engine failure on takeoff. Yikes! David Williams teaches us how pilots deal with the frightening prospect and the training that goes into making sure everyone comes out alive.
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I really enjoyed this read from Dave Williams. For those who don't know the takeoff abort process or just like a good article, this is one of my favorites as of late.
I agree Phil. I definitely learned a few things I did not know about the whole take-off process from push-back at the gate to wheels up.
Good stuff.........now I know another reason of why I may be left in the terminal waiting for another flight..........darn you V1!
Accidents like AF4590 and AA191 really underscore the importance of those few seconds around V1 time as the determinant of life and death. If you think about it, the margin of safety shouldn't be that razor thin when you're talking about the lives of hundreds of people in the balance. The fact that thousands upon thousands of flights are safely carried out from John Wayne and LGA every year doesn't diminish the dangerous nature of those fields.
That TWA Tristar that crashed on takeoff from JFK back in the 90's always intrigues me, because they were airborne and WELL past the decision speed when the pilot decided she wouldn't fly. Thank their lucky stars they had over 14,000 feet of runway to play with and were able to set back down on actual asphalt instead of houses, which would have happened at most other fields.
Great article. I have seen that video 100 times and I enjoy it each time :cool: what a beast !!!
High-speed aborts on the runway are no picnic either. The Boeing takeoff flow has a callout at 80 knots. Below 80 knots, if a fault develops, you can cut the throttles and coast off at the next taxiway without much fuss. Above 80 knots, a takeoff abort is called only if the fault is going to render the aircraft unflyable (failed hydraulics, flap assym, etc). Once you're going 80 knots, there's no sense trying to diagnose a run-of-the-mill problem on the ground while runway is rapidly running out and potentially damaging an aircraft via high-speed abort on a non-damage problem.
Correct, high-speed aborts (over 80kts, as said) are treated almost as emergencies, and the aircraft will get a very thorough once-over from maintenance at the least.