UA 328 UPDATE

 Brothers and Sisters,

On Saturday, February 20 United Airlines Flight 328 suffered an uncontained engine failure while departing Denver International Airport (DEN). The aircraft returned to DEN and landed safely, there were no injuries to passengers or crew. This is the third PW 4000 engine failure of this type in recent years and it is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The IBT Airline Division requested and has been granted “Party Status” to the investigation by the NTSB. We have assigned a party coordinator and have members working with the NTSB on the Structures and Powerplant groups.

Due to the nature of the Party Status Agreement with the NTSB we cannot share details of the investigation, but we can provide you with general updates on the progress of the investigation. As part of the investigation, the NTSB is the only entity that can release its details to the public and will do so through press briefings. Below is a link to an article driven by an NTSB briefing. 

FAA orders emergency PW4000 inspections as airlines ground 777s | News | Flight Global

The IBT Airline Division provides “Go Team” training for our local unions and represented airlines on an annual basis. We hope never to have to use it but are prepared when these types of events occur. We are proud that our Go Team training has put us in a position to respond to this accident and assist the NTSB with their investigation.

Fraternally,

Vinny Graziano
Coordinator Technician and Related
Airline Division
International Brotherhood of Teamsters