In the complaint filed with a court in Illinois, BA says that while traversing the runway, the three aircraft’s engines ingested debris that had been left behind following resurfacing and expansion work on one of ORD’s terminals.
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This shows gross negligence bordering on criminal neglect with the resurfacing work. Foreign objects ingested into a jet engine are likely going to damage the engine. The worst situation would be one where a foreign object is ingested and it nicks a turbofan blade only to have that blade eventually shear off in flight with catastrophic effect.
As a former jet mechanic who did plenty of FOD walkdowns, the issue is well known.
If there was construction, and no process in place to evaluate the surface of the runway for FOD before clearing flights to use that runway, then it is criminal neglect that could have resulted in death, not just damage to engines.
What I am wondering is...why just British Airways? Didn’t other airlines use that runway system during that time?