Flight from Chicago to NYC airport loses engine in flight

Passengers on flight | October 11, 2005 | vanity

[xrp]

Don't you waste more gas by stopping and starting than by letting your engine idle? Something I read once said turning on an engine is equivalent to idling for about 60 seconds (or more), not to mention wear and tear on your starter.

[IFly4Him]

Transport category aircraft are engineered to standards that guarantee certain performance in the event of a power or engine loss. There are takeoff and safety speeds calculated before each flight that allow the flight crew to abort the takeoff or continue depending on the point at which the problem occurs. Human factors can get in the way of course, but if operated within the parameters, the plane will fly safely in such condition.

Some recently built aircraft don't even have engine failures in their emergency checklists; they consider it "abnormal" :)

[sionnsar]

The flight was a Northwest airlines flight. It may be important to note that this airline is in bankruptcy.

Not likely related. About a year ago a NWA flight I was on diverted to the nearest airport because it had lost one of its two engines; didn't get home until the following day. Before that, in 2000, I had another NWA incident: center engine blew 5 minutes into the flight. (NWA isn't the only airline I've seen with mechanical problems: KLM has yet to get me out of Stuttgart on time.)