How two pilots managed to land an airliner with two failed engines
No matter how hopeless the situation may seem, there is always a chance for a successful resolution. This is exactly how one can characterize the incident that occurred with the TACA Boeing 737 airliner. The aircraft was flying from Belize to New Orleans on May 24, 1988.
There were 38 passengers and 7 crew members on board the plane. The winged aircraft was flown by the most experienced pilots - commander Carlos Dardano, who had flown 13 hours at that time, of which 410 were directly on the Boeing 4011, and co-pilot Dionisio Lopez, who had flown more than 737 thousand hours.
Most of the flight passed as normal, and there were no signs of trouble. However, on approach to New Orleans, when the liner began to descend, at an altitude of 9100 meters it encountered a thunderstorm front.
The pilots turned on the anti-icing system to protect against ice and precipitation, as well as to prevent flameout and loss of engine thrust. However, this did not help.
At an altitude of 5 thousand meters, as a result of hail hitting the engines, both units suddenly lost traction, which, among other things, led to a loss of power supply and the disappearance of the airliner from the radars of air traffic controllers at the New Orleans airport.
It was possible to restore power supply and establish communications at an altitude of 3200 meters after turning on the auxiliary power unit. Meanwhile, this did not solve the problem with the engines.
At an altitude of 1500 meters, the units started up, but still did not produce power. In addition, a signal was heard in the cockpit indicating that the engines were overheating. As a result, both of them were disabled.
Without thrust from both engines, the plane began to rapidly lose altitude. According to the pilots’ calculations, the aircraft did not reach the airfield suggested by the airfield controller. At first it was decided to land the plane on the highway. But then it became clear that he might not reach him either.
As a result, at an altitude of 450 meters, the crew decided to land the liner on the water. However, at the last moment, the co-pilot noticed an embankment, where the Boeing 737 was then safely landed. None of the passengers were injured as a result of the incident.
This incident, without exaggeration, can be called a “miraculous rescue.”
It is worth adding that as a result of the investigation, the US National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations for changes in the design of the engines, which included changing the shape of the front of the engine to reduce hail from entering the engine and adding additional drainage holes.
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