JAL 747 ingests cargo container

[Philip Argy]

What indication would the flight crew have had to warn them of the ingestion assuming that the no 1 engine is not in your normal field of vision?

The 3AW listener suggested that the first warning to the flight crew was police cars that were sent to prevent the a/c from taxiing onto the runway.

Is it plausible that if no-one had noticed the problem the a/c could have commenced (or even completed) a takeoff run with the container lodged in the intake cowling, assuming that the penetration was not deep enough to make contact with the fan blades?

Where were FODbusters when they were needed:
http://www.fodcontrol.com/

[Rhys Xanthis]

Given the completely implausible situation that it got to the runway without anyone noticing anything, surely the flight crew would know soon enough with speed being slower?

[NickN]

Can an idle turbofan engine ingest a ULD? You would think there wouldn't be enough airflow into the engine at idle to suck it in.

[Philip Argy]

Perhaps on taxi, especially if there's a right turn, engine no 1 might develop enough thrust to suck in a container. Perhaps the B747 pilots on the Board could tell us.

[NickN]

If the engines are spooling up they would be able to I'd assume.

[Bill S]

Originally Posted by Philip Argy

What indication would the flight crew have had to warn them of the ingestion assuming that the no 1 engine is not in your normal field of vision?

Yes you can, but only just ->




As mentioned above if they were turning right, it's not uncommon to have a bit more thrust on the outside engine to help the plane get around the corner.

Originally Posted by NickN

Can an idle turbofan engine ingest a ULD? You would think there wouldn't be enough airflow into the engine at idle to suck it in.

Yep.

[Nigel C]

You wouldn't catch me standing anywhere near the front of a jet engine, especially one with an intake big enough to stand in!

Here's why http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_wticWfA4Q