Dozens of Boeing 777 aircraft grounded after United engine failure

Dozens of Boeing 777 widebody aircraft have been grounded across the world after an engine failure on a United flight caused the plane to shed debris across a Denver suburb. The US FAA Sunday ordered inspections of Boeing 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 turbines after an uncontained engine failure resulted in an emergency landing of a United flight on Saturday. The regulator pinpointed issues with the hollow fan blades that were “unique to this engine”. United flight 328 had to return to Denver airport shortly after take-off on Saturday after debris, including parts of the cowling that were designed to contain the engine, fell from the aircraft towards the ground. The US NTSB said initial investigation of the United incident showed two fan blades had fractured — one at the root and another “midspan”. A piece of one blade was embedded in the containment ring of the engine, while the other fan blades showed damage to the tips and leading edges. In December a JAL flight from Naha to Tokyo powered by the same engine suffered a similar failure, with fan blades broken at the root and middle, according to accident tracker Aviation Safety Network. Regulators around the world are taking action to limit the use of the engine given the two incidents involving the same turbine in relatively short succession.<br/>