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Can a plane engine stop in the air?

There are have been instances in which commercial airplanes' engines have stopped working during flight.



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Aircraft with fixed wings cannot stand still in the air, unless we are talking about VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft. Lift is created by air flowing around the wing. Too little forward speed, and the wing will stall (loose lift).

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Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare. To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward.

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In fact, airliners can fly quite well on just one. The Boeing 777 is certified to fly up to five and a half hours with one engine out.

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If an aircraft is at a typical cruise altitude of 36,000 (which is 6 miles up) and loses both engines, it can therefore travel a forward distance of 60 miles before reaching the ground. Therefore, if such an incident occurs within 60 miles of a runway, the aircraft could potentially be landed safely.

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The first self-flying cargo planes will enter civil aviation, sharing the skies with piloted airplanes. Small, self-flying planes will begin carrying passengers on short, regional flights. Larger passenger jets will begin operating without a pilot on the flight.

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Flights may be canceled due to wind, precipitation, fog or low visibility, lightning, low clouds, or storms.

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The most well-known case here is the US Airways 1549 Miracle on the Hudson landing. The Airbus A320 aircraft struck a large flock of Canada geese on take-off from New York La Guardia airport - at an altitude of just under 3,000 feet. This caused both engines to shut down, and they could not be restarted.

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Some aircraft damage from lightning strikes includes broken lighting and windows, deformed antenna placements, and onboard electronics malfunctions. Other abnormalities or warnings on the flight deck, such as cabin air pressurization problems or false alarms, can occur after your airplane has been struck by lightning.

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The stall is a breakdown of the smooth airflow over the wing into a turbulent one, resulting in a decrease in lift. The lift will no longer fully support the aeroplane's weight, and the aeroplane sinks.

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The manufacturers consider this in their design of an aircraft, so by the time a plane reaches its destination, it'll be light enough to land safely. Sometimes, however, in an emergency situation, a plane might be forced to land earlier than expected. And that's when fuel dumping comes in.

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A headwind will reduce the ground speed needed for takeoff, as there is a greater flow of air over the wings. Typical takeoff air speeds for jetliners are in the range of 240–285 km/h (130–154 kn; 149–177 mph). Light aircraft, such as a Cessna 150, take off at around 100 km/h (54 kn; 62 mph).

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Sudden decompression, which would occur if a plane door was suddenly thrust open, is another matter. Anyone standing near the exit would be ejected into the sky; the cabin temperature would quickly plummet to frostbite-inducing levels, and the plane itself might even begin to break apart.

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Airline engines (for example the Rolls Royce Trent series) usually have TBOs of over 15000 hours. The record for maximum time for an engine on wing (i.e. use in aircraft before removal for overhaul) is well over 40,000 hours. The life of an engine is given by the manufacturer and are different for different engines.

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It's almost unheard of for turbulence to cause a crash, but it can lead to costly repairs for carriers. Usually, the damage is to cabin components like seats and overhead bins when luggage falls out or people hit them. Turbulence-related damage, delays and injuries cost airlines up to $500 million per year.

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Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2022 Safety Report for global aviation. The report showed a reduction in the number of fatal accidents and the fatality risk, compared to 2021 and to the five year average (2018-2022).

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Planes do fly over the Pacific. If an engine fails it depends on how many engines it has, a multi engine plane just shuts it down and flies slower. In order to gain type certification all commercial aircraft rated for overwater flight must be able to continue on one engine.

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Airline pilots take turns using the bathroom nearest the cockpit during a flight. There are no bathrooms installed in the cockpit. For airplanes with a single pilot, diapers, catheters, or collection devices are used if they are unable to land to use the airport bathroom.

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