Accident Summary
The case is focused on the accident with an American Airlines Boeing 767-300ER. The aircraft conducted a flight from Chicago – OHare International Airport to Miami International Airport in Florida with 170 passengers on board (“Accident description,” 2018). At the takeoff phase, an engine failure occurred. According to the captains words, the crew heard a loud sound soon after the takeoff, and the airplane veered to the right (“Accident description,” 2018).
The estimated speed was about 110 knots, and the captain decided to initiate the rejected takeoff (“Accident description,” 2018). During this stage, the crew informed the air traffic control about the planes stop. At the same time, they were reported that there was a fire. The captain shut off the fuel switch to prevent the fuel from inflaming and activated the evacuation alarm switch (“Accident description,” 2018).
During the evacuation stage one passenger was seriously injured, 19 suffered from minor traumas (“Accident description,” 2018). The investigation showed that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of HP stage 2 disk which damaged the main engine fuel feed line and the main wing fuel tank causing a fire (“Accident description,” 2018).
Analysis
Phase I: Impact
All occupants of the aircraft managed to survive in the accident. Only one person was seriously wounded during the evacuation and 19 experienced minor traumas.
Phase II: Egress
Due to the captains skill and utilization of all needed measures, occupants of the aircraft were able to egress it and avoid serious injuries or fatal consequences (“Accident description,” 2018). All survivors adhered to the evacuation protocol activated by the captain soon after the problems discovery.
Phase III: Post-Crash Survival
According to the report, immediately after exiting the cockpit, the pilots were met by the flight attendant (“Accident description,” 2018). All passengers were managed by other flight attendants and moved away from the airplane (“Accident description,” 2018). The airport rescue personnel reported that all individuals are safe and only 20 of them should be hospitalized because of injuries.
The CREEP Principle
Applying the CREEP principle to the case, the following data is acquired:
- Container. The container is the American Airlines Boeing 767-300ER. During the accident, the right engine experienced a physical impact and was significantly damaged by fire (“Accident description,” 2018). The fuselage and the wing also suffered from the fire and were damaged during the accident. The rest of the plane is unimpaired.
- Restraint. All aircrafts of this type are equipped with restraint systems to avoid serious injuries or minimize the damage done to all occupants (Siddiqui, 2014). Regarding the activation of the procedure of rejected takeoff, the given system turned out to be efficient as it helped passengers and the crew to avoid traumas. Only during the evacuation stage, 20 occupants were injured.
- Environment. The efforts of the crew were focused on the preservation of the appropriate environment and avoidance of panic. For this reason, the situation within the aircraft was stable. As for the environment outside the plane, the weather was appropriate, and no aggravating factors were admitted.
- Energy Absorption. Due to its reliable construction, the aircraft and its parts absorbed the bigger part of the energy (Siddiqui, 2014). The engine was damaged, but it did not cause harm to the fuselage or wing. Inflammation also impacted only the right side of the plane. Due to these factors, all occupants managed to survive in the accident and avoid serious injuries.
- Post-Crash Environment. The post-crash conditions were appropriate. All passengers and members of the crew were provided with the needed services. Rescue and fire teams arrived in time and helped the occupants of the plane to evacuate and acquire health care services.
References
Accident description. (2018). Web.
Siddiqui, T. (2014). Aircraft materials and analysis. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.