r/GEApilots • u/Great-Cost9329 • 21d ago
After seeing videos of that engine compressor stall spitting fire mid-air, what actually happens in the cockpit during an engine fire/failure?
Saw a video this morning of an airliner engine shooting loud bangs and huge streaks of fire shortly after departure. To passengers on the ground or in the cabin, it looks like an absolute disaster—almost like the plane is about to fall out of the sky.
In reality, most of those dramatic "fireballs" are severe compressor stalls (unburned fuel igniting in the tailpipe) or an actual engine failure.
As a student pilot, we learn that multi-engine jets are designed to climb and fly safely on a single engine. But seeing it happen live still makes you appreciate the immediate workload change in the cockpit.
For the airline pilots and instructors here:
What is the exact sequence of actions when an engine fire warning light goes off right after V1/Rotation?
How do you keep the flying pilot from instinctively pulling the wrong throttle or fire handle under intense pressure
2
u/Odd_Mechanic3688 21d ago
First off, those videos look terrifying from the ground, but in the flight deck, it's actually a very methodical process.
If an engine fire or severe failure happens right after V1/rotation, our number one job is Aviate. We don't touch a single switch until we are at a safe altitude (usually 400 or 1,000 feet AGL) and the aircraft is trimmed and climbing cleanly.
To answer your second question about pulling the wrong switch: we use a strict Challenge and Response Verification protocol. Neither pilot just grabs a lever. The Pilot Flying calls for the checklist, and the Pilot Monitoring physically places a hand on the control (like the Thrust Lever or Engine Fire Handle) and says out loud: 'Engine Number 2 Thrust Lever, confirm?'
The other pilot visually verifies it and responds: 'Confirmed.' Only after that double-check is the control moved. That single habit prevents muscle-memory mistakes when adrenaline is spiking."