Aviation Accidents and Incidents Aviation Safety & Regulation Airlines Boeing 737

ATSB: Qantas 737-800 engine-failure incident driven by turbine-blade crack; crew took decisive action after failure at/after V1

Australia’s ATSB says a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Sydney after a loud bang from the right engine during the take-off roll on 8 November 2024 (QF520 to Brisbane). Investigators found the event stemmed from a turbine-blade crack and noted the failure occurred after V1, limiting abort options.

Discovered 2026-04-28T21:04:42.136381-07:00 | 2026-04-28T21:04:42.136381-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Reinforces how certification-relevant decision points like V1/abort capability affect outcomes during take-off disturbances—particularly when the problem manifests after V1, as seen in other 737 engine-failure events such as Delta’s takeoff engine failure and return to Savannah.
ATSB’s finding of a turbine-blade crack as the initiating mechanical cause is a direct data point for engine durability/containment risk reviews across the 737 fleet, aligning with broader engine-related incident investigations across types like SWISS’s A330 engine-fire takeoff abort.
The report spotlights what “decisive” cockpit actions can accomplish under constrained performance margins, providing practical lessons for airline SOPs and training review following real-world take-off roll failures.

Reported By

Aviacionline FlightGlobal Australian Aviation