There were images going around of what looked like an engine lying on the ground next to a United Airbus A320 at Newark. A lot of people, including myself, were wondering how an engine could just fall off the wing of a plane, and what would have happened if that plane was, you know, flying at the time when the engine fell off.
Although not much information has been released on the incident, it’s safe to now say that the engine didn’t fall off the plane – an axle broke on the right-hand landing gear, causing the plane to tilt to the right, which is why the engine looks like its on the ground. So, its a relief to know the engine didn’t fall off, but not sure of the axle collapsing is really great either.
