[Unrepentant VN Vet]

a Boeing 777, after dropping giant metal debris, returns to Denver Int'l Airport after takeoff for Hawaii

Interesting, but not as big a deal as wherever the turbine bits used to be behind that inlet shroud came down.

Not to mention how close all of those blades came to the aircraft when the engine came apart.

That's some very ugly stuff just happened.

Just God's grace there weren't a whole bunch of casualties.

[TXnMA]

I've been checking out photos of undamaged installations of that GE engine on 777s. The fragged engine apparently rotated upward -- damaging the leading edge of the wing where the pylon was mounted.

Can't help but wonder what sort of damage/stress that did to the main wing spar...

I'm surprised that incandescent heat extended that far forward.

My guess is that the huge composite fan came apart...

FWIW, there are a surprising number of examples of the right engines on 777s coming apart or catching fire. One was on another flight that made it into Honolulu...

TXnMA