[Note: For my previous post, as I was exploring the 3 types of B777 engines (GE, PW, RR) that made B777 a popular best-seller among the (long-haul) airline operators, and made it the success it became...., I came across the remarkable incidence of United Airlines flight 328. The (scheduled and routine) flight from KDEN to PHNL, that would have normally taken appx. 7 hours, covering appx. 3,400 miles (see my shot # 2), was cut short due to an in-flight emergency barely minutes into take off. This post, btw, is not a replication of the event, but merely simulates the route (normally) from takeoff to touchdown, and there is not any kind of emergency in my simulated flight, either.]

A B777-200ER can easily makes 16+ hours ultra-long-haul flights, but here is the captivating story (with symbolic pictures) of a B777-200ER flight lasting just about 24 minutes, for UAL Flight 328, that occurred, about a year ago, on Feb. 20, 2021. The B777 (near identical to the a/c I've used for this post) was powered by the PW4000 series (high-bypass) turbofan engines. To get an idea how large this engine is, it's worth stating that that the PW4000 engines are roughly as wide as an entire Boeing 737 fuselage...(please also see pictures below)...! On Feb. 20, 2021, at 1:04pm local time, the flight departed normally from KDEN (Rwy 25). In my pictures, below, as I too lift off from the same Rwy 25, note Denver Airport's iconic (white) architectural (Rocky Mountain look-alike) terminal roof in the background. Four minutes after takeoff, as the airplane was climbing through an altitude of about 12,500 feet, the flight crew advanced the throttles for further power to minimize time in expected turbulence to their assigned altitude. Immediately, there was a loud bang, followed by engine fire warnings, and failure and shutdown of the right (#2) engine. In the cockpit, engine instrumentation screens would have indicated a rapid decrease in RPM parameters, among other indications (see below for several [VC] shots for my (normal) 777 EICAS displays, in the pictures below).

Here is the (exact) mayday transcript from this bit of occurrence:

FLIGHT 328: “328, uh, heavy. We’ve experienced engine failure, need to turn. Mayday, mayday. United, uh, 28, United 328, heavy. Mayday, mayday, aircraft, uh…”
DENVER TOWER: “Yes, 328 heavy, say again, read all that again.”
FLIGHT 328: “Denver, uh, departure. United 328, heavy. Mayday, aircraft, uh, just experienced engine failure, need a turn immediately.”
DENVER TOWNER: “328, left or right turn?”
FLIGHT 328: “Left turn.”

During this emergency, among the many (checklist) items for the crew to think about and quickly act on, one of the first and foremost was surely about making the "turn" back to the airport. In fact, the decision was already made before contacting ATC (see the last two lines of the transcript, above). As the crew were going through the checklist and containing the fire by discharging the fire extinguisher bottles into the right engine, another critical decision had to be made whether to dump fuel or not...the pros and cons of a fuel dump had to be carefully evaluated against those risks associated with landing with excess weight (the long-haul plane was fuel-heavy being barely into takeoff). After verifying the landing performance of the a/c, they finally elected not to dump fuel for safety and time reasons. 

Then emergency landing preparations started, while the engine fire warning signs persisted still, which would be extinguished only during the downwind leg of the circuit back to KDEN Rwy 26 (see my screenshot #5, below, for the two legs along and against the direction of Rwy 26, the latter leg slightly slanted downward). For landing, the captain executed a one-engine-inoperative approach (that the airline pilots continuously practice in their real simulators), touching down on runway 26 without any further incident. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting team was ready and waiting, and as soon as the a/c stopped on the runway, the remnant fire in the right engine was promptly extinguished. Most importantly, no one was hurt.

The entire flight from takeoff to touchdown lasted 24 minutes. The emergency return, from Rwy 25 back to ILS/LOC Rwy 26 (see my FMS NAV/RAD page auto-tuned to Rwy 26 ILS Frequency 108.90), involved a left-turning (CCW) race-track course, since the takeoff was westward, and the landing was also westward. From available on-line data, and I've approximately (and please note, symbolically) matched it in my flight here (route shown in my shot #5), where you can see all the KDEN Rwys, including Rwy 25 and Rwy 26. Please also note, below, the presence of the (nearby) Rocky Mountains, just west of KDEN, seen from the [VC] and in the right-wing-view shot, as I'm banking left back to KDEN Rwy 26. So, two massive and powerful engines had lifted the United 328 (heavy), and its load/pax off Rwy 25, but only one of those engines, the left (#1) engine (see my very last screenshot of the left (#1) engine, for an impression), managed to successfully (and safely) bring it all back to the ground. It was aided, of course, by exemplary and cool-minded airmanship by the crew (listen to the actual transcript, if interested). The captain and the first officer were UA veterans, with more than 30 and 20 years with the airline, respectively. That's why those folks are up there, while we are here...in our own imaginary world of virtual aviation...

Hope you enjoy the below set of symbolic pictures from my uneventful (virtual) flight, here, but still, at least, get a miniscule evocation of the actual event, even though this (virtual) flight is devoid of any actual emergency, and devoid of the fact that lives of 241 occupants were at risk in that fateful UAL 328 flight, which, after all, turned out to have a good ending...!

Thanks for your interest...and good rest of day...!

Edited May 8, 20224 yr by P_7878

Another 777's great set of shots, seems you a lot on your way with this bird..

cheers 😉

Heck of a post mate !! .

Very nice set of shots! I can't wait to fly this beautiful bird again in MSFS! 🙂 

pmplayer, johnb, Alaska et al.: Thanks very much...for the responses...!!

(Alaska: Get ready to master the (upcoming) 737 first in MSFS...🙂...then the 777 will follow....)

59 minutes ago, P_7878 said:

pmplayer, johnb, Alaska et al.: Thanks very much...for the responses...!!

(Alaska: Get ready to master the (upcoming) 737 first in MSFS...🙂...then the 777 will follow....)

The 737 is the only plane that i really know how to control. The 777 i don't really know how to master. I have not flown much with this bird. But i plan to spend more hours with the big baby when when he's out in 1 year or 2. Still a few hours before the release of the 737. I have a very busy schedule. 😉 

I'll deliver this baby to Seattle from Renton and then i'll circle Alaska again with the 737 as i had done before on the A320. Will be Fun!! 🙂