4 ms·
A single bird can cause an engine to fail so...
by Thaxll 4y ago
A single bird can cause an engine to fail so...
- outworlder 4y agoImprobable unless it's a really enormous bird (or many large birds at one time). A chicken wouldn't be big enough. Bird ingestion would probably cause some damage that would have to be repaired, but jet engines are tested for this exact scenario. And engines are tested for large birds and both medium and small engine flocks. Sure, it _could_ happen with a single bird, but it probably won't. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/33.76 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/33.76
- ikiris 4y agoI'm sure that Sully flight is much more confident that they didn't crash due to dual engine loss from bird strike thanks your comment.
- antonjs 4y agoTo pile on, the average weight of male Canadian Geese is > 8 pounds, which is higher than the largest 'large bird' that needs to be tested, and they travel in flocks. I think they worked out that each engine probably ingested two birds. At the time those engines were certified, the largest bird tested was 4 lbs and they only volleyed them into the outer area of the engine, not the core where the accident engines hit.[1] Now they have to send them into the 'most critical area' of the engine, but depending on engine size the largest bird tested could still be 4 or 6 lbs. [1] https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/aar1003.pdf#page=31 https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/...
- detrites 4y agoBy "tested", do you mean someone out there has the somewhat insane job of throwing actual birds into fully-powered jet engines? And I guess cleaning up afterward also?
- jameshart 4y agoEngines are tested exactly for the scenario of ingesting a small bird, yes. Not for ingesting a large Mylar balloon with a mass tied to one end, necessarily.
- opamp 4y agoEngines are also tested for speeds and altitudes where birds are typically encountered - ie, not Mach 0.8 at FL35. Canopy tests are similar. If I’m remembering correctly, I think the typical “speed limit” is 250 kts below Class A airspace, which is a far cry from a Mach number. edit: I also recall that the testing allows for destruction of the engine as long as shrapnel does not penetrate the fuselage. Engines are not happy ingesting a goose regardless of speed or altitude. There’s a liner surrounding the turbine blades the must remain intact to pass the test.
- palijer 4y agoSingle engine failure is trained for quite extensively by pilots. Even 747 pilots regularly train for a dual engine failure on the same side landing.
- Cadwhisker 4y agoReminds me of the joke where an engineer is testing cockpit windshield resistance to bird-strike by firing dead chickens at it from a special cannon. The windshields keep shattering and they wonder why. One engineer suggests that they probably defrost the chicken first.