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That time a fan blade let go on a 727 at DFW
Back in '95 I was working the line at a hangar in Dallas, just finishing up a routine oil change on an old 727 when I heard this awful grinding sound from the #2 engine. Turned out a fan blade had cracked and was rubbing the cowling, but nobody caught it during the walk-around. I flagged it, grounded the plane, and the lead mechanic had to pull the whole engine apart... took us 16 hours to replace the blade set. Has anyone else here dealt with a sudden blade failure on an older bird like that?
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andrew_miller901mo agoTop Commenter
Done a few blade changes on 727s myself. Rough job.
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gavin_reed1mo ago
Rough job" is an understatement. Those 727 blades are probably the most cuss-word-inducing hardware to change. The worst part nobody talks about is how the platform on those old birds is never level, so you're fighting gravity the whole time. Plus the blade retention bolts always seem to be torqued to "heck you" specs from a decade of heat cycles and Kentucky humidity.
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paulm951mo ago
Up in Memphis I remember one guy rigged a come-along to the fuselage frame just to keep the blade from swinging during a change. Still took three of us and a few choice words to get the damn thing seated right.
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