Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have begun collecting debris from the United Airlines Boeing 777-200 that suffered an&nbsp;engine failure over a mile-long area of&nbsp;a Denver suburb Saturday afternoon. The engine failure, involving a Pratt &amp; Whitney PW4077 turbofan, happened soon after United Flight 328 took off from Denver International Airport on its way to Honolulu. The airplane turned around and safely landed in Denver at about 1:30 pm. None of the 241 passengers and crewmembers nor anyone on the ground suffered injuries.

 


Television footage showed a nearly intact nacelle inlet lip from the PW4077 lying in the front yard of a suburban home in Broomfield, Colorado, roughly 30 miles west of the airport. More large engine cowl&nbsp;pieces landed at a nearby athletic field. Cell phone video footage taken by passengers in the airplane showed nearly the entire cowling from the right engine missing while the engine itself spewed flames from its core. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

 


An almost identical incident in 2018 also involved a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 on approach to Honolulu. In that case, the cowling surrounding the right PW4077 fell off some 45 minutes before the airplane&nbsp;landed. Investigators found that a fractured fan blade caused that failure. Last year the NTSB determined that insufficient training for a thermal acoustic imaging (TAI) inspection process developed by Pratt &amp; Whitney led to technicians misdiagnosing a problem with the fan blade that ultimately failed in the 2018 incident. Since then Pratt developed a formal training curriculum for the inspections and the FAA issued an airworthiness directive in March 2019 requiring repetitive inspections of all PW4000s in service.

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

NTSB Prepares To Analyze Debris from United 777 Engine Failure

The uncontained failure of a Pratt & Whitney PW4077 forces a United Airlines 777-200 to return to Denver.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Agreement between start-ups could lead to orders for up to 15 aircraft

Skyhop Plans Island Routes With Noemi's Electric Seaplane

Howard Hardee

Airline plans to gradually replace its Embraer E-Jet fleet

A220’s Performance Drives BermudAir’s Fleet Growth

Partners say eVTOLs could accelerate response times in crowded Indian cities

Air India Backs SkyDrive Emergency Medical eVTOL Plans

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Rival Boeing arguably claimed bragging rights at the Farnborough International show

Airbus Balances Shareholder Returns and New Aircraft

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Connections to London Heathrow and Manchester airports will start first

Virgin Firms Up eVTOL Air Taxi Alliance with Joby

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

More In Airlines

Skyhop Plans Island Routes With Noemi's Electric Seaplane

Agreement between start-ups could lead to orders for up to 15 aircraft

A220’s Performance Drives BermudAir’s Fleet Growth

Airline plans to gradually replace its Embraer E-Jet fleet

Air India Backs SkyDrive Emergency Medical eVTOL Plans

Partners say eVTOLs could accelerate response times in crowded Indian cities

Airbus Balances Shareholder Returns and New Aircraft

Rival Boeing arguably claimed bragging rights at the Farnborough International show

Virgin Firms Up eVTOL Air Taxi Alliance with Joby

Connections to London Heathrow and Manchester airports will start first

ATR Chases New Regional Markets for Twin Turboprops

Iran war and wider geopolitical pressure stall buying decisions

Embraer Racks Up E-Jet Orders at Farnborough

30 firm orders led by Abra

Gulf Air May Buy JetZero’s Blended-wing-body Z4

Japan Airlines also expresses interest at Farnborough Airshow

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN