Zee 0 #1 October 24, 2004 Be sure you read the story before looking at the pictures. The aircrew obviously had more balls then brains. Hard to believe anyone would take off with an engine in this condition. This is an excellent example of why any prudent traveler should generally stick with North American carriers, Western European carriers and a few other carriers like QANTAS, Air New Zealand, and Singapore. A pilot for a Chinese carrier requested permission and landed at FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) for an unscheduled refueling stop. The reason became soon apparent to the ground crew: The Number 3 engine had been shut down because of excessive vibration, and because it didn't look so good. It had apparently been no problem for the tough guys back in China: they took some sturdy straps and wrapped them around several of the fan blades and the structures behind, thus stopping any unwanted windmilling (engine spinning by itself due to airflow passing thru the blades during flight) and associated uncomfortable vibration caused by the suboptimal fan. Note that the straps are seatbelts....how resourceful! After making the "repairs," off they went into the wild blue yonder with another revenue-making flight on only three engines! With the increased fuel consumption, they got a bit low on fuel, and just set it down at the closest airport for a quick refill. That's when the problems started: The Germans, who are kind of picky about this stuff, inspected the malfunctioning engine and immediately grounded the aircraft. (Besides the seatbelts, notice the appalling condition of the fan blades.) The airline operator had to send a chunk of money to get the first engine replaced (took about 10 days). The repair contractor decided to do some impromptu inspection work on the other engines, none of which looked all that great either. The result: a total of 3 engines were eventually changed on this plane before it was permitted to fly again. Frightening, isn't it? Action©Sports Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningbugirl 0 #2 October 24, 2004 omg that is just terrifying, just terrifying.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian425 0 #3 October 24, 2004 And the Whuffos say we are crazy!!! The only time you should look down on someone is when you are offering them your hand. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viking 0 #4 October 24, 2004 oh my fucking god!!! wow What model plane was this and what Chinese Carrier? All it takes is one stray piece of metal in the wrong place and you get rather large shrapnel bomb on the wing..................right next to kind big gas tank.I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antifnsocial 0 #5 October 24, 2004 Aaaaagggghhh!! Now that is what nightmares truly are made of, how could anyone let that thing go up after seeing it! Please feel free to reply to my posts and pm's, but only if you're smart enough to understand what they really mean. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
girlygirl 0 #6 October 24, 2004 I wonder just where they got the seat belts? From the seats of the poor people about to go down in a fiery or watery crash? Comforting.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ncrowe 0 #7 October 24, 2004 Maybe they were seat belt extenions? heh ...kidding aside what carrier was this I might be flying to hong kong for new years and would prefer to pass on this particular carrier "Don't Mess Around With the Guy in Shades- Oh No!!! " Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zee 0 #8 October 24, 2004 To be perfectly honest - I don't know what carrier it was. This whole thing was sent to me by a crazy ass redneck friend of mine - Same guy who sent me the kitty playin' with his dick video he he he. Most likely it's just another net myth but who says everything posted in the Bonfire has to be true? Happy trails, Z Action©Sports Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justaflygirl 0 #9 October 24, 2004 Holy shit batman, this must be a chinese norm, I mean what ever happend to pre-flight inspections? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cvfd1399 0 #10 October 24, 2004 So that engine was NOT running with the straps on it right. The straps were only on there to stop it from free spinning in flight since it was shut down. I find it hard to believe that thoes straps could have held as a balancing weight while running. All that above aside it was crappy of them to fly it like that much less make it a usual flight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #11 October 24, 2004 QuoteSo that engine was NOT running with the straps on it right. The straps were only on there to stop it from free spinning in flight since it was shut down. and to add a point in there... the straps look more than apt to hold the engine from freespinning... but, withought the engine freespinnigit has a ton more drag on it.... ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #12 October 24, 2004 Just remember these pictures the next time you (anyone) wants to bitch about the price of tickets and the awful rules we have to follow. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adamjenner 0 #13 October 24, 2004 hahaha i showed the chinese guy staying at our house that. he said it's common to fly some of their planes even if one engine is not functioning........that is scary. i'm never going to china, or flying back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gremlin 0 #14 October 24, 2004 That's it. Next time I fly the rig is going as carry on! I'm drunk, you're drunk, lets go back to mine.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerrcoin 0 #15 October 24, 2004 Yeah, my vote is going to the urban legend. Looks like birdstrike or FOD. The straps are more likely cargo straps than seatbelts, used for securing the engine to that pallet it's on for transport and to stop that mangled fan from rotating. The engine as shown is not attached to the wing. It's most likely that these were taken as it was about to be shipped off for overhaul. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigway 4 #16 October 24, 2004 What airline was that? i need a cheap flight You think the passangers who were on this flight could make some sort of claim towards their money back? if this is classed as dangeorus, how can the airline keep operating? .Karnage Krew Gear Store . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloudseeker2001 0 #17 October 24, 2004 My half-sister and her husband do a lot of business in China and fly Chinese air all the time......They have survived two plane crashes in China! One was a few years ago and that crash made the cover of Time.......! "Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance, others mean and rueful of the western dream" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zee 0 #18 October 24, 2004 Now that is scary. I heard on TLC once that, statistically speaking, you would have to spend 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 26,000 years, on a commercial airliner, in order to die in a crash. If I ever move to China I think I'll just buy me a scooter Peace, Z Action©Sports Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,381 #19 October 25, 2004 >he said it's common to fly some of their planes even if one engine is not functioning . . . It is; it's pretty common to ferry aircraft to repair centers that way. Needless to say they are generally not carrying paying passengers when they do that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dixieskydiver 0 #20 October 25, 2004 Ack! I flew domestically in China not so very long ago...without my rig too! Dixie HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez "Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #21 October 25, 2004 This just continues to prove my point that there is not such thing as a "perfectly good airplane" part of my job in the Air Force is designing repairs on aircraft and although there are times and places to allow flights w/o engines... they're few and far between... Scott Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #22 October 25, 2004 Quotepart of my job in the Air Force is designing repairs on aircraft and although there are times and places to allow flights w/o engines... they're few and far between dude, you do "ED" 's .. wow... i need one on my jet.... oh wait, no i don't... the fix was to replace the whole wing....lol.......... ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slug 1 #23 October 25, 2004 QuoteThis just continues to prove my point that there is not such thing as a "perfectly good airplane" part of my job in the Air Force is designing repairs on aircraft and although there are times and places to allow flights w/o engines... they're few and far between... Scott Hi Scott Back in the day We did a 3 engine T.O. on a C-130.It was nightime and we were broke down in a bad place with very little resources. The Flt engr tried to find/fix a massive hydraulic leak in a engine with no luck. Per SOP's Our pilot asked saigon for permission to do a 3 engine T.O. so we could get the hell out of there. Saigon declined Then we got really scared while trying to fix the engine. Pilot made the decision, taxied out on two engines started the third and took off. (empty). Pilot called Saigon and told them we had to shut the engine down after T.O. and we were going home.R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #24 October 25, 2004 Quotestatistically speaking, you would have to spend 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 26,000 years, on a commercial airliner, in order to die in a crash. How long will it take for 5 days a week, 10 hours per day, about 700-800 flights per year? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #25 October 25, 2004 QuoteQuotestatistically speaking, you would have to spend 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 26,000 years, on a commercial airliner, in order to die in a crash. How long will it take for 5 days a week, 10 hours per day, about 700-800 flights per year? hehehe showoff... . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
