An engine failure is a scary moment for passengers on any plane, especially when you are in flight. This weekend, Delta and 159 passengers encountered an engine failure mid-air during a flight departing Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson international airport en route to the Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport.

Delta flight 2046 on Saturday, April 7 encountered engine failure as the plane was making its descent into Phoenix Sky Harbor. One of the two engines on the Boeing 757 plane shut down forcing the pilots to declare an emergency. The plane in question appears to have been a 757-200 type.

The Delta pilots followed procedure and landed the plane safely with only one of two engines operational at around 2:35 PM. No injuries were reported out of the 159 passengers and Delta apologized for the inconvenience.

According to Delta, they operate 154 of the 757-200 with an average age of 18.7 years. They also operate 16 of the 757-300 with an average age of 8.8 years. The airplane in question was immediately taken to maintenance but the reason for the engine failure is not known.

Fortunately the twin engine 757 can operate with only one engine. Have you ever encountered an engine failure before, during, or after flight?

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  • Jayson said,

    No, and it is my greatest fear while flying, only 2nd to losing both.

  • ffi said,

    The 757 is capable of taking off with one engine I think

  • grammarian said,

    “It’s decent” = It is respectable.
    “Its descent” = The plane’s downward trajectory.

  • grammarian said,

    :-)

  • Ian said,

    That’s a little overly dramatic. As ‘ffi’ said, the 757 does fine with 1 engine. In fact, the captain did not even request emergency vehicles at PHO and landed safely on one engine.

  • Aeroman said,

    Thanks grammarian. I was thinking the same thing.

  • ari said,

    I have experienced single engine failures on multiple occasions…but the plane I fly has four of ‘em :)

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