Metal Fatigue Seen as Trigger for Boeing 777 Engine Failure
- NTSB investigators have interviewed the United flight crew
- Airlines grounded dozens of 777s awaiting urgent inspections
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The jet engine fan blade that broke loose on a United Airlines plane Saturday near Denver, triggering a massive failure leading to the grounding of dozens of Boeing Co. 777s, resulted from metal fatigue, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt.
A preliminary examination of fragments found after the episode that sent metal chunks raining on a suburban neighborhood suggested a crack that grew gradually over time prompted the failure, Sumwalt said Monday night.