Comments on: Southwest Plane Diverted To Pensacola After ‘Uncontained Engine Failure’ http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure Local News for Molino, Bratt, McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill, Cantonment Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:45:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Charlie http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328331 Charlie Mon, 29 Aug 2016 20:18:22 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328331 Alvin W.---Extremely great explanation! In my experience in refueling airliners, I have seen however, a few arrive with access panel doors open. Worst case was a high wing turbo prop where the pilot complained of low oil pressure. I found the oil cap dipstick laying on top of the engine, next to the blades of a small cooling fan. Open access doors/fasteners were unlikely to be the cause as you state. Southwest officials say no explosion in the usual meaning of that term. Parts coming off at 500 mph & hitting the aircraft, could be considered as an explosive event by some however. Alvin W.—Extremely great explanation! In my experience in refueling airliners, I have seen however, a few arrive with access panel doors open. Worst case was a high wing turbo prop where the pilot complained of low oil pressure. I found the oil cap dipstick laying on top of the engine, next to the blades of a small cooling fan. Open access doors/fasteners were unlikely to be the cause as you state. Southwest officials say no explosion in the usual meaning of that term. Parts coming off at 500 mph & hitting the aircraft, could be considered as an explosive event by some however.

]]> By: No Excuses http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328313 No Excuses Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:11:26 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328313 Thankfully, all are safe. I remember the Delta incident, and I also remember an Eastern Airliner almost cracking in half after they landed on the runway in Pensacola. It seems we also had a plane run off into the bay about 20 years ago too. Thankfully, all are safe. I remember the Delta incident, and I also remember an Eastern Airliner almost cracking in half after they landed on the runway in Pensacola. It seems we also had a plane run off into the bay about 20 years ago too.

]]> By: Alvin W. http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328299 Alvin W. Mon, 29 Aug 2016 12:00:57 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328299 Everything posted so far is speculation, and will be until the NTSB concludes it's investigation months from now. However, based on the photos and experience with those components, here is my 2 cents worth. First, the 4 unlatched latches (2 sticking up on the pylon forward apron, and 2 on the pylon access panel) came unlatched as a result of the incident. No flight or ground crew (or passenger sitting in a window seat with a view of that engine) would have missed those latches not being secured. Even if that somehow were the case, WOULD NOT cause the INLET to explode. The forward lip skin (gone, as are both outer panels, the Forward bulkhead, and most of the inner bond panels) has a void between the forward bulkhead and the lip skin that is heated with pressurized air (comes off the engine compressor through that pipe you can see bent back in the one photo) to keep the front of the engine from icing over (Which affects airflow and can break off folding the engine). So my somewhat knowledgable guess is a catastrophic bond panel (the main structure of the inlet and part that looks peeld back) failure is what happened. The other possibility is that their was a severe overpressurization of the lip skin that caused it to explode. But that is less likely, as those particular inlets have vent holes cut into the bottom lip skin for the pressurized anti icing air to exit. All those vent holes would have had to be blocked/ plugged from inside the lip skin for it to overpressurization. If one or both of the outer panels failed & came off, the inner bond panels shouldhave held up, unless the forward lip skin ripped off. Without the outer panels that would have been a possibility. As for the engine damage, that would have been caused by the inlet coming apart. The missing pieces are well forward of the inlet fan, which is the beginning of the actual engine (the fan attaches to the front of the engine). Everything posted so far is speculation, and will be until the NTSB concludes it’s investigation months from now. However, based on the photos and experience with those components, here is my 2 cents worth. First, the 4 unlatched latches (2 sticking up on the pylon forward apron, and 2 on the pylon access panel) came unlatched as a result of the incident. No flight or ground crew (or passenger sitting in a window seat with a view of that engine) would have missed those latches not being secured. Even if that somehow were the case, WOULD NOT cause the INLET to explode. The forward lip skin (gone, as are both outer panels, the Forward bulkhead, and most of the inner bond panels) has a void between the forward bulkhead and the lip skin that is heated with pressurized air (comes off the engine compressor through that pipe you can see bent back in the one photo) to keep the front of the engine from icing over (Which affects airflow and can break off folding the engine). So my somewhat knowledgable guess is a catastrophic bond panel (the main structure of the inlet and part that looks peeld back) failure is what happened. The other possibility is that their was a severe overpressurization of the lip skin that caused it to explode. But that is less likely, as those particular inlets have vent holes cut into the bottom lip skin for the pressurized anti icing air to exit. All those vent holes would have had to be blocked/ plugged from inside the lip skin for it to overpressurization. If one or both of the outer panels failed & came off, the inner bond panels shouldhave held up, unless the forward lip skin ripped off. Without the outer panels that would have been a possibility. As for the engine damage, that would have been caused by the inlet coming apart. The missing pieces are well forward of the inlet fan, which is the beginning of the actual engine (the fan attaches to the front of the engine).

]]> By: Charlie http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328281 Charlie Sun, 28 Aug 2016 23:18:52 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328281 The engine did not come apart. The actual engine itself, starts at the point in the photos where you see the first stage of turbine compressor blades, & they are now made to have a type of containment feature around the engine, to keep parts from flying outward into the fuselage or other critical areas like fuel tanks. It happened over water, so no pieces went down on land. The large missing piece is strictly only the air intake part of the nacelle, & not any part of the actual engine itself. The engine did not come apart. The actual engine itself, starts at the point in the photos where you see the first stage of turbine compressor blades, & they are now made to have a type of containment feature around the engine, to keep parts from flying outward into the fuselage or other critical areas like fuel tanks. It happened over water, so no pieces went down on land. The large missing piece is strictly only the air intake part of the nacelle, & not any part of the actual engine itself.

]]> By: GH http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328248 GH Sun, 28 Aug 2016 17:17:38 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328248 A photo on another news site shows a pretty nasty gash in the fuselage under the Windows. Happened at 30000 ft. Would have been much worse if damage had penetrated into the cabin. A photo on another news site shows a pretty nasty gash in the fuselage under the Windows. Happened at 30000 ft. Would have been much worse if damage had penetrated into the cabin.

]]> By: IBuildEngines http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328240 IBuildEngines Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:51:26 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328240 "Uncontained Engine Failure" is not PC, it's the industry term for an event where a piece of the engine does not stay within the nacelle (the thing surrounding the engine). If you look at the photos, you can see the fan's mostly intact, the engine did not "blow up". The pictures are poor but it's not even clear that this was an uncontained failure, it looks like somehow the forward part of the nacelle came apart and was ingested. That could have been caused by an engine failure or the other way around. “Uncontained Engine Failure” is not PC, it’s the industry term for an event where a piece of the engine does not stay within the nacelle (the thing surrounding the engine). If you look at the photos, you can see the fan’s mostly intact, the engine did not “blow up”. The pictures are poor but it’s not even clear that this was an uncontained failure, it looks like somehow the forward part of the nacelle came apart and was ingested. That could have been caused by an engine failure or the other way around.

]]> By: Mitch H http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328239 Mitch H Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:45:02 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328239 Uncontained means it broke through the outer shell of the engine. The pieces probably landed south and west of Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico; though at that height and speed there are lots of options. http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/ Plane was at 30.2111 Latitude and - 88.2903 when it slowed and started descent. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3472/history/20160827/1400Z/KMSY/KPNS/tracklog The Delta incident in Pensacola lead to changes that make all flying public more safe. http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/Undetected_Crack_in_Engine_Led_to_Fatal_Delta_Air_Lines_Accident_in_Pensacola_NTSB_Determines.aspx The full report: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9801.pdf Just an interesting read. M Uncontained means it broke through the outer shell of the engine.

The pieces probably landed south and west of Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico; though at that height and speed there are lots of options.

http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/

Plane was at 30.2111 Latitude and – 88.2903 when it slowed and started descent.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA3472/history/20160827/1400Z/KMSY/KPNS/tracklog

The Delta incident in Pensacola lead to changes that make all flying public more safe.

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/Undetected_Crack_in_Engine_Led_to_Fatal_Delta_Air_Lines_Accident_in_Pensacola_NTSB_Determines.aspx

The full report: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9801.pdf

Just an interesting read.

M

]]> By: Bob C. http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328238 Bob C. Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:41:19 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328238 Thankfully, there were no injuries aboard the aircraft and it landed safely. Thankfully, the aircrew kept the damaged plane flying to the airport. Uncontained engine failure = the damage was not kept within the engine. In this case it was the forward part of the engine that is missing thus uncontained. Wonder where those pieces landed? Note the PC use of "issue" "... due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine." Bubba, if the engine on anything that I am part of comes apart it is a PROBLEM not an "issue". Sounds like trying to downplay the situation. Yes, recalling the passenger killed at the Pensacola Regional Airport some years ago when there was an engine failure sending a piece of a blade into the cabin. That too was a PROBLEM. Thankfully, there were no injuries aboard the aircraft and it landed safely.
Thankfully, the aircrew kept the damaged plane flying to the airport.

Uncontained engine failure = the damage was not kept within the engine.
In this case it was the forward part of the engine that is missing thus uncontained.
Wonder where those pieces landed?

Note the PC use of “issue” “… due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine.” Bubba, if the engine on anything that I am part of comes apart it is a PROBLEM not an “issue”. Sounds like trying to downplay the situation.

Yes, recalling the passenger killed at the Pensacola Regional Airport some years ago when there was an engine failure sending a piece of a blade into the cabin. That too was a PROBLEM.

]]> By: anne http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328237 anne Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:16:31 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328237 I'll take flying any day. No one expects these man-made engines to never go bad. Take a look at the accidents on the ground around here and I'll take flying any day. The airlines do an excellent job as far as equipment goes. Look at how fast the pilot put that jet back on the ground, excellent work. I’ll take flying any day. No one expects these man-made engines to never go bad. Take a look at the accidents on the ground around here and I’ll take flying any day. The airlines do an excellent job as far as equipment goes. Look at how fast the pilot put that jet back on the ground, excellent work.

]]> By: bewildered http://www.northescambia.com/2016/08/southwest-plane-diverted-to-pensacola-after-uncontained-engine-failure/comment-page-1#comment-328232 bewildered Sun, 28 Aug 2016 13:16:12 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=261874#comment-328232 What is an "uncontained" engine failure? Surely the engine did not fall out during the flight. (if so, it could have been a disaster and killed people on the ground) What is an “uncontained” engine failure? Surely the engine did not fall out during the flight. (if so, it could have been a disaster and killed people on the ground)

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