Incredible picture of damaged B-17 flying

[RMAllnutt]

I remember reading about a 707 cargo plane flying out of Switzerland which lost the starboard two engines (complete with their pylons) shortly after take off. The ensuing engine fire engulfed the wing, burning off the leading edge to the spar, and yet it managed to make a safe landing (through heavy overcast!) at Toulouse in France. I read about it in a magazine during the early 1990's and saw the accompanying photographs of the damage. Anyone else remember this, or have further details?

Cheers,
Richard

[The Inspector]

I remember reading about a 707 cargo plane flying out of Switzerland which lost the starboard two engines (complete with their pylons) shortly after take off. The ensuing engine fire engulfed the wing, burning off the leading edge to the spar, and yet it managed to make a safe landing (through heavy overcast!) at Toulouse in France. I read about it in a magazine during the early 1990's and saw the accompanying photographs of the damage. Anyone else remember this, or have further details?

Cheers,
Richard

Since all the 'K' flaps (Krueger flaps) on the leading edges were magnesium, I'll bet it was easy to keep track of as it went across the sky.
Fit and gap filing of them on the production line made piles of filings residue. Some of which I took home in a Suckerware bowl. Mixed with paraffin and a charcoal briquette in a paste board egg holder came in handy as we camped a lot when the kids were small and you always have to deal with wet foraged Alder in Washington's forests-tear off one segment, place on damp wood in a downpour and one match would have that campfire going in no time 'If the women don't find ya handsome, they should at least find ya handy'

[CoastieJohn]

I find it amazing some of these aircraft that suffer catastrophic damage in the air and still make it back home.

[Chris Brame]

Here you go - LIFE magazine, July 9, 1965:

http://books.google.com/books?id=R1MEAA ... &q&f=false

Scroll to page 20. (After that you can scroll to page 84 and see Natalie Wood covered in whipped cream in the filming of The Great Race. You're welcome. )

[Wildchild]

From reading this, I have learned 2 things:

Boeing's jet engine's were sh* t

Boeing had to make tough airframes to compensate for the sh* tty engine's.

Chris.

[maxum96]

I find it amazing some of these aircraft that suffer catastrophic damage in the air and still make it back home.

I love the way that painted over the airline's name right away. Like that'd keep us from knowing that it was Aloha Airlines especially when it was all over the news and they showed the plane as soon as it landed with the passengers still on board.

[The Inspector]

From reading this, I have learned 2 things:

Boeing's jet engine's were sh* t

Boeing had to make tough airframes to compensate for the sh* tty engine's.

Chris.

Time and distance coupled with limited experience really mess up perspectives pal-first off, Boeing never did make a jet engine (they did make a very few turbine helicopter engines, the 502 one of which wound up in a yellow high boy 32 FORD) THE engine to have and THE most reliable commercial jet engines at the time were P&W JT-3D/JT-4D's or the military derivative, J-57/J-75, the JT-3/4 series were about generation 2.5 from a Whittle engine. GE made a very few derivative engines for the limited numer of 880/990's they built that grew out of the J-93 in the XB-70 and the J-79 was a very touchy and 'fragile' engine early on and fairly prone to cease functioning at a moments notice hence the nickname for the F-104 as 'lawn dart'. The JT-8D is a fine engine and is as reliable as a small block Ford. When first built the JT-8 series was designed for and used on the HOUND DOG standoff missile carried on some B-52's and had an average life of about 2 hours, and since the missile was a 'throw away' decoy no one cared.The core engine had great potential and became 'old reliable' that made it the one to have for up to 17500 Lb/Thrust, and for decades have run reliably for in some cases 35000 hours. If you have a JT-8 that needs overhaul at 17000 hours, you want a good look at what the flight crews have been doing to that engine.

The first JT-9D's on early 747's had the ability to sometimes runs for a dozen hours before having an issue and failing, Boeing flew RA004 to the Paris airshow and had to change engines because of turbine binding issues before they could fly it home and change engines again. Probably the best first series big fan motors are the CF-6 from GE which are tougher than Martian algebra. I'm a big CF-6/CF-90/Genxt fan, P&W 4084's belong someplace other than mounted on airplanes.

It's obvious that you have NEVER had the distinct pleasure of standing next to the fan exhaust ducts on a running JT-3D in freezing crappy weather with the longest straight screwdriver you own or can borrow trying to 'chase the mouse' on the fuel control to trim one through a small hole in the closed cowling (on warm days you'd 'hit' the mouse in about 24 seconds when you could really use some cool air and spend hours in cold weather doing the same task).

I used to love getting a FNG on headset on a 707 trim, riding the FE seat I was in communication with the guy on the ground and hear after telling him 'fuels in' and hearing/sensing that distinctive 'whump' 'WE'VE GOT A FIRE' in a very high pitched voice, 'is it growing?' 'uh...no I guess not' 'is it going out now?' 'yeeeeah' 'congratulations, you've just been involved in your first dinosaur start, ready for number four?'

The what passes these days a the 'press' splashes a big headline in the paper or TV news 'Boeing jet has engine failure' no, the P&W/ GE/ CFM/Rolls mounted ON a Boeing jet has had an issue.

Last edited by The Inspector on Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[The Inspector]

I find it amazing some of these aircraft that suffer catastrophic damage in the air and still make it back home.

I love the way that painted over the airline's name right away. Like that'd keep us from knowing that it was Aloha Airlines especially when it was all over the news and they showed the plane as soon as it landed with the passengers still on board.

Another Instructor and me ran the numbers, that airframe operated 16 or more hours every day on 26 minute cycles (start up, pressurize, depressurize, land, shut down, startup...etc. 28 times every day) with maintenance that pretty much amounted to 'did it start? "yeah" 'then send it to Lanai' in 100% ocean salt air environment. It lead to RII inspections and closer structural inspections and a significant increase in the sale of new skins from Boeing.

[muddyboots]

Was this the one people got sucked out of?

[gary1954]

for the non-smokers , don't get bent outta shape with this, but if they still permitted smoking on airliners , the steams of nicotine seeping through the cracks would have alerted the mechanics that maintain these ships that there was structural compromise in the fuselage . it was a clue in the past

[The Inspector]

Several passengers on previous flights had mentioned they saw vertical cracks in the skin @ Sta 360 skin lap (the front edge of the structural failure) as they boarded the aircraft and got an 'OH poo-poo' response from the FA's. Other departing pax say they complained about the skins 'groaning and popping' and got 'Le Shrug' from the cabin crew. And yes, one FA did get ejected from the aircraft and never found.

[CoastieJohn]

Ya....I never caught the Aloha was covered over. Pretty interesting find.

There was an active duty Coastie on that flight too.

[Noha307]

I find it amazing some of these aircraft that suffer catastrophic damage in the air and still make it back home.

Yea. Since we're on the topic - although I'm sure everyone here has heard of it before - I can't help but bring up United Airlines Flight 232.

Here you go - LIFE magazine, July 9, 1965:

http://books.google.com/books?id=R1MEAA ... &q&f=false

Scroll to page 20. (After that you can scroll to page 84 and see Natalie Wood covered in whipped cream in the filming of The Great Race. You're welcome. )

Whoa! That's one heck'ov'a story I've never heard - glad someone had the foresight to take some pictures. Thanks for the link.

I'm just glad we still have some of the talented men in the skies that we do to bring these damaged birds home. My hat is off to them.

[The Inspector]

I find it amazing some of these aircraft that suffer catastrophic damage in the air and still make it back home.

Yea. Since we're on the topic - although I'm sure everyone here has heard of it before - I can't help but bring up United Airlines Flight 232.

Here you go - LIFE magazine, July 9, 1965:

http://books.google.com/books?id=R1MEAA ... &q&f=false

Scroll to page 20. (After that you can scroll to page 84 and see Natalie Wood covered in whipped cream in the filming of The Great Race. You're welcome. )

Whoa! That's one heck'ov'a story I've never heard - glad someone had the foresight to take some pictures. Thanks for the link.

I'm just glad we still have some of the talented men in the skies that we do to bring these damaged birds home. My hat is off to them.

The PAN AM 707-321B was l/n 18336, delivered to PA AM as N 7761PA in 1962, but never given a 'Clipper' name. You can see where the end rib of the production break runs chordwise through the #4 plyon area @ the outboard end of the 'K' flap.
N761PA was repaired, later sold and registered as RP-C7075 (Phillipines), then N 944JW (International Air Lease in MIA) and eventually broken up, probably in corrosion corner.

[Steve Nelson]

Ya....I never caught the Aloha was covered over.

I've noticed that in most post-crash photos involving airliners, the name/logo were painted out as quickly as possible.

SN