Variants: PW4164, PW4168, PW4168A and PW4170.

Thrust range: 287–311 kN (64,500 lbf – 70,000 lbf )[6]

Applications: the engine variants are designed exclusively f or Airbus A330-200 and -300 (Note
that this does not include the A330neo: -800 or -900).

PW4000-112[edit]
Variants: PW4074/74D, PW4077/77D, PW4084/84D, PW4090 and PW4098.
Thrust range: 329–436 kN (74,000 lbf – 98,000 lbf )[7]
Applications: the engine variants are designed exclusively f or Boeing 777-200, -200ER, -300.
(Note that this does not include the -200LR or -300ER).

Accidents and incidents[edit]

This section may lend undue weight to minor incidents.
Please help to create a more balanced presentation. Discuss
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2021)

Involving PW4000-112 series[edit]

PW4090 on United Airlines Flight 842
on March 17, 2003, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER operating as Flight 842
departed Auckland, New Zealand f or Los Angeles. Af ter an engine-indicating and crew-alerting
system low-oil quantity alert, f ollowed by a high-oil-temperature alert with rising oil temperature,
the crew shut down the right (#2) PW4090 engine. They diverted to Kona, Hawaii where they
landed saf ely a little over three hours later later, exceeding their 180 minute ETOPS diversion
time planning limit by approximately 12 minutes due to headwinds. A f ailed No. 3 bearing in the
right engine had caused the engine loss.[8][9][10]
PW4098 in Korean Air Flight 2708
On May 27, 2016, a Boeing 777-300 of Korean Air, operating as Korean Air Flight
2708[11] f rom Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, was accelerating f or
take of f when its lef t engine, PW4098-112 engine suf f ered an uncontained f ailure in the turbine
section and a substantial f ire ensued. The crew aborted the take-of f , and af ter the aircraf t came
to a stop the f ire was extinguished by the airport emergency services. No f atalities were
recorded.[12][13]
PW4077 in United Airlines Flight 1175

UAL1175 PW4077 fan blade root section fracture surface showing metal fatigue (NTSB photo)

On February 13, 2018, a Boeing 777-200 powered with PW4077-112 engines perf orming United
Airlines Flight 1175 f rom San Francisco to Honolulu, about 45 minutes bef ore landing, suffered
a f an blade f ailure, which caused much of the inlet and cowl to separate f rom the engine. There
was minor damage to the f uselage caused by the ejected debris .[14] The NTSB's f inal report noted
that the primary cause was lapses and f ailures in P&W's f an blade inspection, resulting in a
cracked blade erroneously returning to service. [15] An inspector had seen possible sign of the
crack in the blade years bef ore but attributed it to paint. [16] In 2019 the FAA issued an air
worthiness directive mandating recurring engine inspections based on usage cycles, and at that
time stated "these thresholds provide an acceptable level of safety".[17]
PW4074 in Japan Airlines Flight 904
On December 4, 2020, a Japan Airlines Boeing 777-200 powered with PW4074 engines,
registration JA8978 perf orming f light JL-904 f rom Okinawa to Tokyo Haneda with 178
passengers and 11 crew, was climbing out of Okinawa when the lef t hand engine f ailed and its
access doors ripped off with huge noises prompting the crew to stop the climb and return t o
Okinawa f or a saf e landing about 35 minutes af ter departure. The aircraf t stopped on the runway
and was subsequently towed to the apron.[18]
PW4077 in United Airlines Flight 328

Damage to PW4000 hollow fan blades from UA328. Note fracture surface near hub at top of photo and
compare to photos above. (NTSB photo)

Main article: United Airlines Flight 328

On February 20, 2021, a Boeing 777-200 with PW4077-112 engines perf orming United Airlines
Flight 328 f rom Denver to Honolulu suf f ered a f an blade f ailure shortly af ter takeoff. There was
minor damage to the f uselage caused by the ejected debris. At least one aviation saf ety website
noted the similarity to the UAL1175 incident two years earlier.[19] In contrast to the previous
incident over ocean, [20] this incident's occurrence over populated land resulted in numerous
ground observers, as well as signif icant identification and recovery of the f allen engine
debris. [21] An immediate examination, bef ore any f ormal investigation, found that two f an blades
had broken of f. One had suf fered metal f atigue; it was thought that it had chipped another blade,
which also broke of f.[22] The usual inspection interval is every 6500 f lights. In response to this
incident, the FAA was to order a grounding of af fected 777s and issued an emergency
Airworthiness Directive on February 23, 2021, requiring a Thermal Acoustic Inspection (TAI) of
the f an blades of all seven variants of the -112 series engines.[23][24] Japanese authorities and the
UK's CAA f ollowed suit and grounded their af f ected planes until “appropriate saf eguards” are in
place. [25] In total, 69 in-service and 59 in-storage Boeing 777 jets are involved. [26][27] Almost all
carriers had voluntarily grounded the aircraf t bef ore the mandatory requirement came into f orce,
with the notable exception of South Korea's low cost Jin Air's f our 777-200 aircraf t. [28]

Involving PW4000-100 series[edit]

PW4168A in Vietnam Airlines VN-A371
On May 6, 2014 the f light crew of an Airbus A330 aircraf t, registered VN-A371, began a take-of f
roll on runway 27 at Melbourne Airport in Australia. The f light was a regular passenger service
to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and was operated by Vietnam Airlines. Australian Transport Saf ety
Bureau (ATSB) reported that as the aircraf t reached an airspeed of 89 knots, a loud ‘bang’ was
heard in the cockpit. In response, the f light crew initiated the rejected take-of f procedure and
brought the aircraf t to a stop on the runway. A subsequent technical examination determined that
the right engine had sustained an uncontained f ailure of the low-pressure turbine. The engine
f ailure was initiated by the f ailure of a blade in stage f our of the low-pressure. Pratt and Whitney
advised the ATSB of three previous stage f our LPT f ailures in the PW4000 f leet of engines which
includes PW4168A engine. Although the reported events occurred in stage f our of the LPT, the
f ailure mechanisms dif fered f rom this event.[29]
PW4168 in Delta Air Lines Flight 55
On February 13, 2018, a Delta Airlines Airbus A330-200 (N858NW) perf orming f light DL-55
f rom Lagos (Nigeria) to Atlanta with 221 passengers and 13 crew. During the initial climb the
crew received a f ire indication f or the lef t hand engine (#1), stopped the climb at 2000 f eet, shut
the engine down, activated the f ire suppression and returned to Lagos f or a saf e landing 8
minutes af ter departure. The aircraf t was evacuated, one passenger received serious, 11
passengers received minor injuries as result of the evacuation. [30]