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ETOPS planning ensures that the aircraft will always be able to reach a suitable alternate airport, even if the aircraft experiences loss of an engine and loss
by nemetroid 5y ago
ETOPS planning ensures that the aircraft will always be able to reach a suitable alternate airport, even if the aircraft experiences loss of an engine and loss of cabin pressure, at the worst possible time during the flight. It’s not a ”so often” thing.
- tialaramex 5y agoLoss of an engine. If you lose both engines mid-way across the Atlantic, I assure you that your twin engine ETOPS qualified airliner is not going to reach to an airport. The Azores Glider made it over 100km after losing its second engine which sounds very impressive -- until you look at a map of typical ETOPS authorised routes. If they'd continued on their original course when they at first didn't understand what the problem was, instead of diverting, they'd have been forced to ditch in the ocean. Now, ditching an airliner in the ocean isn't certain death. But it's very dangerous and there is no margin for error. While the Hudson River is not exactly a welcoming experience, being very cold and more than deep enough to drown, it's much more favourable than an ocean. So, ETOPS is focused on the very low but non-zero probability of losing another engine and so likely loss of life from what may then become a forced ditching of the aircraft.