How Far Can Aircraft Fly On One Engine?

It’s the nightmare scenario that those who fear flying all dread. One of the engines on a jetliner completely malfunctions. This is definitely not a scenario that anyone would choose, but is there any need to panic in this situation?
Article link: simpleflying.com/etops-single...
Video sources:
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a350 air france • Meeting with Air Franc...
767 Condor • Condor 767-300ER [D-AB...
767 Westjet • WestJet Boeing 767-300ERW
777 Cathay Pacific • Cathay Pacific - New L...
A350-1000 Cathay Pacific In the Making • In The Making: First C...
A330-200 Rwandair in the making • Airbus A330 "Ubumwe" I...
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS#/...
www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/20...
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#aviation #flight #avgeek #airlines #flying

[@dewiz9596]

Pilot Multi-Engine Training: Mostly learning how to fly on one engine. . .

[@julianbrelsford]

Multi engine aircraft when one engine is shut down-- acts like an overweight underpowered aircraft, and in that respect it's not all that different from a Cessna 150 (but the thrust is off the centerline)

[@statistics_em]

In 2007 I was on a 747 and we lost an engine shortly after takeoff from JFK. We circled for a while to dump fuel, then lost a second engine just before doing a fly-by (not sure if it was an aborted landing or just to inspect for damage). I never found out what happened, but the airline put us up in a hotel for two nights and we got served airplane meals in the hotel dining room. It was a weird experience.

[@benwilson6145]

Torture

[@julianbrelsford]

If a jet with four turbine engines loses two of them at different times in the same flight, I'd think one likely explanation is some kind of fuel contamination. Turbine engine failures are so rare that one can usually assume that two failures in one flight have a common cause rather than being a coincidence.

[@JunkBondTrader]

imagine being on the ground and it started raining jet fuel lol

[@statistics_em]

@@JunkBondTrader lol well in this case we were circling over the Atlantic. I remember a story a year or two ago though where someone dumped fuel on a school playground near LAX 😬

[@alexriosfilm]

When I was a kid I was in an Avianca flight from BOG to CTG in a 727-200. Aparently one of the engines blew on take of and we had to go back to BOG. I know... after 1 engine blows in a 727 you still have 2 more to go. Still, it's the only incident I have ever experienced with the loss of an engine. I didn't notice what happened and learned in the aftermath what had happened

[@xunchizhang6776]

If 747 and A380 lost 3 engine…

[@Loud_Mouth_Soup]

Flew on the now-defunct Canada 3000 in 1999 on an A330 from Toronto. Lost the engine over Ottawa and turned around to go back. Not far to go, but still tense for me. By sheer luck, their newest A330 had just arrived in Toronto from Toulouse ahead of us, and we simply swapped planes.

[@dennisrogers8107]

All very true in MOST (99.9%) cases. Unless you're United flight 1175 on February 13, 2018. That flight suffered a fan blade failure at top of descent into Honolulu. Like the incident in Denver with another United 777, the fan blade basically destroyed the fan shroud. In an interview with Juan Browne (Blancolirio), the captain, Christopher Behnam, stated that the aircraft was barely flyable. He also stated the NTSB findings concluded that had the event happened farther out from destination, they would NOT have made it to Hawaii. Hence, the grounding of all aircraft with that engine type after the Denver incident. Aerodynamic degradation due to the shroud departure is the difference between these incidents and other engine out incidents.

[@Leo-pu2nw]

Yeah, in ideal situations the engine failure is as if the engine just got turned off, but with a blade fan breaking and sending debris everywhere or as you said causing aerodynamic degradation it is extremely scary. For example you could characterise QF32 as an ‘engine failure’ very loosely, but that engine sent shards everywhere, severing hydraulics, wiring and fuel lines. Also had the engine exploded later into the flight, there was a slim but real possibility for even a fire on board as the fuel tanks had less fuel and more oxygen to ignite.

[@dennisrogers8107]

@@Leo-pu2nw QF32 was a disk failure that caused the engine explosion. So was United 232. Both are examples of why disk failures, which cannot be "contained" are so dangerous.

[@BigDukeX]

Captain Behnam also stated during that interview, that shrapnel from the exploding engine nearly penetrated the aircrafts fuselage. Had that actually occurred, and at that altitude.., an entirely different scenario would have played out during this event. Perhaps, near-future technologies will bring about quieter, higher-efficiency Turbojets, e.g, “Concorde”... engines for the next generation of commercial aircraft, thus eliminating fans blades altogether. Just me, thinking outside of the box.

[@AtomicBuffalo]

Apparently while engines are exhaustively tested and designed to contain damage, aerodynamic engine shrouds weren't tested for their ability to maintain integrity after engine failure... until the 777 kept losing shrouds after blades failed.

[@dennisrogers8107]

@@AtomicBuffalo They are tested. Extensively. But sometimes real world experience and thousands of flights find things that get through. A similar situation with the CFM56 on the 737. After how many hundreds of thousands of flights, Southwest had two incidents within a couple of years. And now GE and Boeing are working on a rework of the cowl on that engine also.

[@shauryakhetan3196]

I have encountered such an incident...a few years back I was heading from Mumbai to Ahmedabad on Indigo Airlines, during takeoff a bird hit our left engine and we all saw smoke coming out of it. A few passengers got anxious and a couple of them even removed the life-vests just for fun. We landed at our departure airport 30 mins after circling in the air due to heavy traffic at Mumbai Airport. We landed safely, switched planes, saw a lot of fire-trucks waiting for us when we landed. Overall it cost us a delay of 3-4 hours and is always going to be a memorable experience 😂

[@koushikpm4131]

Is there any protocol that the flight has to come back to the originating airport? Rather than dumping the fuel, they could have reached their destination Ahmedabad, which is not far from Mumbai.

[@hansraub8663]

In the 1990s I was on a flight from SFO to Hawaii on an L1011 when the right engine was shut down. The flight returned to SFO, engine was repaired and we took off 8 hours later.

[@EvDelen]

ETOPS: Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim

[@mraviatorboii2510]

☠️☠️☠️☠️

[@yishakibrahim]

😂🤣😂😆😄

[@BRTripReport]

Thanks for the informative video! 👏🏼

[@rexonalttheantiperspirant5544]

That a350 in the thumbnail looks so long.

[@tomstravels520]

In most aircraft if you loose an engine you’ll also loose some electrical or hydraulic power too. On the A350 both engines can pressurise both hydraulic systems so there is no loss of hydraulic system and as there are 2 generators per engine I don’t think electrical distribution is affected much either

[@craigsandiford]

Yes the 350 has great redundancy.

[@walterfink9782]

A twin engine aircraft is designed to operate with one engine, for limited times. It's best to land safely as soon as possible, if one engine is not working. A 3 engine aircraft can operate on 2 engines. And so on. Now, when flying on a single engine aircraft, it's best to keep that engine in top working order.

[@meik7436]

Good to know that most aircraft can fly with one engine. I’ve been in a situation when one engine on a 737 turned off and it was VERY scary for me. Fortunately, the engine did turn back on that time.

[@JunkBondTrader]

most, perhaps, but one of the most commonly used planes in the world the 747, has four engines, and if 3 of them failed, that would not be good. On a dual like the 737, it can manage with one.

[@RoderikvanReekum]

The Fokker 130 range covers a vast area, even with a full passenger load. Take-off and landing performance allow operations to and from remote destinations. This results in an aircraft with unique payload capability and earning power for airlines.

[@arienoordzij3823]

The Fokker 130 'dream' plane that never flew, except on the designer board? 🤣😂

[@TheFarmanimalfriend]

Is there a case of a Boeing 777 losing the left engine and still flying? I have heard how difficult it was to fly a 777 on the left engine after the right engine failed catastrophically and am wondering if the left engine failed, was the plane still flyable?

[@weprusso]

Around 1986ish, I was on an Eastern 757 that blow and engine on take off out of SLC. It was more than just a compressed stall. Bits and parts landed on the runway. The plane continued its take off like normal. Had it not been for the loud bang, I doubt most passengers would have realized there was an issue. The plane circled around and landed without incident. Eastern put us on another plane and we were off again.

[@Skrivus]

All the way to the scene of the crash.

[@Taco908]

Exactly why not to panic in this situation

[@djcarbontt]

Been there done that. JFK to Denver on Delta in a 737… weird vibration for the entire trip till no vibration… engine off and hard right to divert to Chicago. Plane swap. Boom. As a matter of fact I had a stretch of planes with issues till I lost count. I remember an MD-80 power issue on takeoff leading to an aborted takeoff and that was scary. That was really scary. Ooof.

[@saxonepps]

wow, this video is amazing!

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

wow, this comment is fake!

[@DavidOfWhitehills]

Curious to know: would a plane with an engine out, forced to fly at a lower altitude, and slower, achieve better or worse mpg than that same plane with everything optimal at its ideal altitude?

[@pranavr2256]

Worse air being more dense at lower altitude resulting in greater drag

[@nathanbanks2354]

The lower speed and lower altitude could cancel each other out. I suspect the range would be close to the same because these planes are designed to fly half way across an ocean on one engine. Engines are also most efficient at around 90% power. Does anyone have the numbers for a particular aircraft?

[@TheLightningII]

Much worse. Lower altitudes result in lower true airspeed for a given indicated airspeed and fuel burn rate. Combine that with the drag of a failed engine and the rudder/aileron deflections required to keep the aircraft flying straight and you get significantly reduced range.

[@incandescentwithrage]

@@nathanbanks2354 You are completely mistaken in everything you said.

[@pranavr2256]

@@nathanbanks2354 if that was the case ryanair would be flying with one engine even remove an engine lol 😂😂

[@raymondmassie4898]

Lost an engine on a 747-400 on take off out of JNB due to a flame out. Engine was restarted in flight with no problems. Seemingly a common problem at JNB due to cross winds affecting in board engines I believe.

[@SDGreg]

Earlier this year, Juan Browne for the Blancolirio channel did a interview of the Captain from UAL 1175. In 2018 this 777-200 flying from SFO-HNL experienced a failure of one of the engines about 120 miles from HNL. This failure resulted in loss of the cowling and the engine was oscillating despite the engine being shutdown. The control of the airplane was not normal and there was severe shaking of the airframe. The airplane was able to land at HNL. During the interview the Captain mentioned that if the plane had been further out from HNL he really wasn't sure if they would have been able to make it to HNL because when the engine failed so much damage was caused. The engine was also oscillating that it was shaking the cockpit to the point that it made reading gauges difficult and even reading the checklist. Despite all this oscillation from the engine, it never separated from the airframe. This really makes me question the ETOPS certification of 300+ minutes for some of these airplanes. Especially in a catastrophic failure that results in damage to the aerodynamics of the plane trying to bring a damaged twin engine plane with only one engine and then try to fly that plane for 5+ hours on one engine.

[@EdOeuna]

The checklist for engine severe damage / separation tells the pilot to slow down or descend to reduce vibrations. In any case the bolts holding the engine to the pylon are the weak link, so if anything is going to snap it’ll be them, and then the aircraft is free of vibration.

[@SDGreg]

@@EdOeuna I thought the same thing as you but the bolts holding the engine to the pylon never snapped despite have so severe vibrations they couldn't even read the checklist for engine severe damage.

[@michaeldiesel3688]

Extra drag from rudder correction and also atmosphere drag at lower altitude.

[@umi3017]

When reading the title, I was thinking it's about like "How far away we are from (large commercial) Aircraft with only one engine"

[@randocrypto1678]

I was thinking about that the other day. What if you put a single GENX in the tail of a 737 Max? That single engine would have about the right amount of thrust, and probably be more efficient than two regular engines. It could work for overland flights but you’d need to get really good at landing a large glider in case that one engine failed.

[@MARBLEHEAD07]

If that only engine fails at a low altitude, then hope there's a river nearby.

[@luigiweegee7152]

@@randocrypto1678 too bad that the genx is too huge to fit in a 737 tail

[@greateraviationgl91]

"You can’t fly 90 minutes on one engine, but i don’t think Tecnam applies that for ETOPS." -Skyships Eng

[@lightbox617]

C'mon , guys. Every pilot licensed for multi engine is taught how to fly with engines out. The original test for the DC3 was to take off and cross the Rocky Mountains with one engine. Current two engine passenger jets can cross the Atlantic on one engine. I had a friend who, while qualifying for a multi engine license, had an instructor suddenly reach for the controls and turn off one of two engines.. As a passenger, I always hope that my pilot has military training and experience

[@EdOeuna]

No plane would intentionally cross the Atlantic purposely on one engine. The checklist will state “land at nearest suitable airport” which may be in Iceland, Greenland or Canada, depending exactly where you are. You’re never really that far away from an en-route alternate airport.

[@sushiljoshi2326]

Do the plane loose balance when one engine fails ? What's the physics behind it ?

[@awadheshmohantripathi1766]

Does single working engine does not create the rotation of whole aircraft about the centre of plane

[@ivangeo3319]

The problem is the pilot. Remember ATR72 accident in Taiwan, where one of the pilot turned off the wrong engine? In panic mode, well trained person can still make mistakes.

[@mr.randomgamer888]

Matto when his plane loses 1 engine: THIS IS LITERALLY MILLIONS TO ONE

[@karmascotland8]

An engine failure on any twin-engined aircraft is an 'emergency' (Pan-Pan ATC call in the first instance)...contrary to your suggestions, Sir. Yes, most twin-engined aircraft are designed for 'worst-case-scenario' such as failure on take-off etc., However on any professionally operated commercial twin aircraft with one engine out it is a serious issue and 'Land at nearest suitable alternate' is the first and immediate option.

[@CaptNash]

Wouldn’t the range be extended?

[@incandescentwithrage]

No. Non working engine = lots of drag.

[@JunkBondTrader]

these are all twin engine aircrafts, sure it can fly with only 1 engine. But what about on a 4 engine plane, like the most commonly used passenger aircraft, like the 747?

[@NarutoHarryPotter]

This “kinda” happened to me twice. By “kinda”, I mean that the engine problem was assessed while the plane was still on the ground. Once on an A321, pilots said they couldn’t start one of the engines (20 minutes later we were on the way). Then another time on an A330, we sat on a tarmac for half an hour while engineers tried to fix one of the engines, then eventually we were transported to another A330 when it became clear it won’t be a quick fix. Glad they found that issue on the ground and it didn’t happen half across the Atlantic Ocean 🤣

[@peterwaugh9416]

I hate the word tarmac. All the TV news reporters love it. At an airport, you only have Aprons, Taxiways, Runways, Parking or Stand/Gate. It's amazing such a trivial thing annoys me so much. No offense Roman just wanted to vent.

[@jammer4578]

I lost an engine and the plane only had one..

[@ronaldcuieii4775]

I've never experienced that. But with the extensive testing that is conducted by rolls royce, ge and pratt whitney I wouldn't worry if it were to happen🙂🙂.

[@Tasek7]

idk

[@aerospaceperson110]

Not to mention the fact that around 99% of airline pilots start their training on single-engine aircraft, so it's more or less a "back to the basics" when a twin-engine plane loses one engine.

[@alphakky]

As Ron White has said how far a plane can fly on one engine, "All the way to the scene of the crash..." 🤣

[@mathewmclean9128]

I always thought ETOPS stands for Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim

[@matthewforster2661]

Perfectly adequately, lol.

[@ghanim19908]

I was on a Qatar Airways a350-1000 flight from Dallas to Doha and we had an engine failure and were diverted to Paris.

[@philippgabler5835]

The most interesting question would be: "Is there any point or area in the world, that is more than 370 min of flying time away, from an airport, that is suitable for an A350?"

[@chrislohphotography]

Antarctica I think?

[@EdOeuna]

Airbus have obviously got a reason to ask for 370 minutes ETOPS. I doubt there will be higher values of ETOPS because these figures cover all the necessary parts of the globe.

[@afsalsubair2199]

Speaking of the incidents I have been on a plane where both engines lost power after it taxied to the gates. 😇

[@tomstravels520]

Can’t tell if this is meant to be a joke or bad wording

[@ethanizer3678]

Imagine flying with only one engine to save fuel costs. 😂😂

[@harryfaber]

Does not apply to the Avro Manchester.

[@drdoolittle5724]

Yup, lost an engine at 500 agl so landed in next field safely - no other engine available!

[@MSRTA_Productions]

🤔

[@eamonahern7495]

If it ever happened a plane I was on I didn't know about it.

[@dougharris7665]

Losing one engine on a twin engine aircraft may lengthen your ETA while losing the other will shorten it rather quickly. So I would prefer to head to the alternate airport immediately and suffer the inconvenience vs a funeral.

[@Turboy65]

How far will a plane go with no working engines? All the way to the crash site. When will it get there? About half an hour before the emergency crews.

[@AtomicBuffalo]

Sometimes much earlier.

[@FlyboythaACE]

How far on one engine? All the way to the crash site

[@thenakedtrucker]

How far can a twin jet go on one engine?? All the way to the scene of the crash.

[@bobbrown8661]

ETOPS - Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim 🙃

[@paulbuscombe3059]

No I haven't

[@nurrizadjatmiko21]

🤔👍

[@imathreat209]

Pretty far

[@Stanf954]

Don't tell that to Capt Sully.

[@pennise]

Q: How Far Can Aircraft Fly On One Engine? A: All the way to the crash site.

[@Guderian0617]

One thing I don't understand is why perform an emergency landing if a landing gear fails? 1. The plane is still fully loaded with fuel and so it is riskier, and 2. it's not as if the emergency landing doesn't require landing gears just like a normal landing. If the destination airport has emergency facilities, why not fly there THEN do an emergency landing?

[@EdOeuna]

It is common for aircraft to suffer a failure of some sort on departure and continue to the destination and perform some form of emergency landing there. Assuming no effect to the performance of the aircraft, losing a hydraulic system or tyre failures, etc, can be better managed several hours later once the fuel level is much lower and the pilots have had a chance to discuss the approach and landing with company and emergency services. Clearly continuing with gear down, flaps fault or something that affects the cruise performance isn’t a good unless you need to get to a fairly close alternate.

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim 🤔🧐✈️👀

[@111Swissair]

Yes in February of 1977 I was on a Swissair 747-200 flight 111 ironically from JFK to GVA and we had to return to JFK. I left the next day.

[@KurtGAndersen]

Well a 747 would still have 3 engines left if losing 1…

[@filledwithvariousknowledge2747]

Wow that’s strange hearing the same flight number as the accident involving the MD-11 before the accident happened

[@rockk9865]

no

[@notaregistereduser3446]

They can fly all the way to the scene of the crash

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

The problem is when you lose the other engine. Pilots should declare an emergency and land as soon as possible, unlike Smartwings 1125 who continued their flight across Europe on one engine.

[@EdOeuna]

That pilot probably doesn’t work for Smart Wings any more. Flying past suitable airports when the checklist actually says “land at nearest suitable airport” is totally irresponsible.

[@michaelchin3734]

If ETOPS is over 6 hours, why don't the pilot fly one one engine to save fuel. Only restart the 2nd engine when landing. Does this not save fuel for the corporate company or is this not a good idea!!

[@AtomicBuffalo]

Asymmetrical thrust degrades handling and increases drag.

[@nathanbanks2354]

Also, if the single running engine failed, the second may not be able to restart. Starting an engine in the air is not as reliable as just leaving the engine running. Plus the flight would be slower so you couldn't run as many flights with the same airframe.

[@tomstravels520]

Aircraft cannot fly as fast or fly as high with one engine running so have to fly lower which burns more fuel and the use of rudder to compensate also introduces drag

[@mathgoodison8096]

One flight back in 1979 AA191 DC10 departed Chicago and lost one engine. It didn’t fly far and it crashed only km away from O Hare airport and killed all the passengers

[@ZeroKenshin]

Boeing. . .

[@jimjim7608]

your sound is not good.

[@rfmsuper]

All the way to the scene of the crash.