This is everyone’s nightmare when you fly. What happens if all the engines on a passenger jet fail. And, as of this publication, many travelers are worried because there have been issues with the Boeing 737; in one case, what was meant to be a door on the jet was actually what’s known as a plug, and it burst away from the jet, leaving a gaping hole, with a rather calm passenger sitting there, exposed to, well – the sky. And, Boeing has been having on-going issues with its quality control on its 737 Max9 jet. As mature and robust as modern airliners are, they’re only as good as their quality control.
Which brings us to the main topic today: what happens if all the engines on a passenger jet fail? Watch the video below, courtesy of the excellent SimpleFlying.com
If all of a jet airliner’s engines were to stop while the aircraft is in flight, the situation is commonly referred to as a “total engine failure.” This is a highly critical emergency scenario that pilots are trained to handle, albeit it’s extremely rare due to the multiple redundancies built into modern jet engines and aircraft systems.
Even if the engines fail, the aircraft does not immediately fall out of the sky. It would continue to glide, descending at a rate that depends on its altitude, airspeed, weight, and other factors. Modern jet airliners are designed to glide efficiently, allowing pilots time to work on restarting the engines or finding a suitable place to land.
It’s important to note that while a total engine failure is a severe emergency, modern commercial airliners are designed with multiple layers of redundancy and safety systems. The likelihood of all engines failing simultaneously is incredibly low due to rigorous maintenance schedules, engineering standards, and safety protocols in place within the aviation industry.
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