Pilot VS ATC. Lufthansa Pilot Refuses To Declare Emergency after Engine Failure. REAL ATC

22 FEB 2018.
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-800, registration D-ABYO performing flight LH-401 from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 127 passengers, was climbing through FL200 out of New York when the crew requested to level off due to an engine (GEnx) problem but to continue the departure route. The crew subsequently advised they wouldn't cross the Atlantic and some time later decided to return to JFK. The crew advised no assistance was needed. When the crew checked in with tower, tower advised emergency vehicles were on stand by, the crew responded the services were not needed. The aircraft landed safely on runway 04L and taxied to the apron.

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#REALATC #ATC #ATCCOMUNICATIONS

[travisk]

He's got a point. He still has more working engines than most airliners

[serpentrouge]

To uninitiated, german pilots are trained in crossing the Atlantic with 0 engines. This pilot just showed extreme caution

[typhoon]

"and the emergency vehicles are standing by"

VEE ARE NOT AN EMERGENCY!!

[noneofyourbusiness]

When you are so German, that you dont want to disrupt normal operations due to a nothing-burger like an engine failure.

[salzstreuerdeluxe]

JFK: „Declare an emergency?“
LH: „Nö!“

[thomassheehan]

An 8 engine B52 once declared an emergency with one engine out. Lots of comments on the frequency. My favorite ”oh no! the 7 engine only approach”

[dodgecummins]

Well you’re not an emergency so no you can’t descend. 😂

[simon]

747-800 with 127 passengers sounds like getting a hottub to boil two shrimps.

[gretareinarsson]

Just a very relaxed and professional pilots who have full control and understanding of the situation in a four engine plain with one out.

[dowlingm]

Somehow the cheery disbelief from Approach is scarier than the usual JFK growling

[BaxterRoss]

The most New York approach controller I've ever heard

[glennrwatson]

As a former Capt, technical pilot and type rating instructor with over 8000 hrs on the B747-400 and B747-8 (the LH variant in question) I can confirm that unless there are additional serious issues this is NOT an emergency. Ego, Pride, etc. would have not have played any factor in the pilots’ decisions. Lufthansa Pilots are among the best selected and trained in the world. I can attest to this having trained or been trained at some of the world’s most reputable airlines, including type ratings at TWA DC-9 (prior their demise), US Airways–B727 (when it was still called US Air) and including over 200 hours in the Lufthansa Flight Training Center B747 simulators in Frankfurt with Lufthansa instructors and examiners. I have flown the B747-400/-8 with 5 major operators, 4 of which required that I complete full type rating conversions, both technical training and simulator (requiring between 10 and 17 sim sessions). All of these airlines have at some stage suffered engine failure but never requiring a Mayday call to my knowledge, though I believe a Pan Pan might have been in order on occasion. One of those airlines, a world famous multiple award-winning airline based at the most award-winning international airport (figure it out) did declare an emergency MAYDAy at one of the worlds busiest airports and was actually penalised for unnecessarily disrupting airport operations. Quite correctly, after that, we were encouraged to immediately declare whatever state we were in, ie. Minimum Fuel, Urgency (PAN PAN) or Emergency MAYDAY, but not when the defined requirements of that state were not evident. It seems some pilots and many observers forget that apart from the many other aircraft in the air, there are many other parties or entities in the mix, and unnecessary effectively demanding extra attention (by declaring a Mayday) can easily lead to a less safe environment for other operators or players in innumerable ways. It might be worth noting that in many parts of the world ATC does not recognise pilots „declaring an emergency“, only the terms MAYDAY, PAN PAN, and specific defined condition safety related statements like MINIMUM FUEL or FUEL EMERGENCY. Although they tend to accommodate the Unique States of American carriers with their unique non-ICAO terminology and vast lexicon of aviation slang.

[bigscrounger]

I guess the FO got a little shafted when ATC refused clearance to 2000. Now if he had declared an emergency, he could have done whatever he wanted 🤣

[erichurst]

I’d love to fly on a 747 with only 127 passengers.

[johnmorris]

So for the last time in a comments section every time this clip pops up, in a four engine aircraft an engine failure is an inconvenience not an emergency! As an ex (before my company scrapped them) B747-400 pilot, a B747 or A340/380 with one engine out has more redundancy than a B777 departs with in working order.

[iflyg]

A single engine failure on a 747 isn’t an emergency, it’s an abnormal. Many have failed across the Pacific and continued on. You just record the time the engine has been shutdown or failed because the engine is spinning with no oil pressure. It’s a maintenance requirement. That’s it.

[DCSuper]

JFK: EMERGENCY?
LF 747: NEIN EMERGENCY!!!

[DaveJ]

Pilot was like "oh look - yawn -, we just lost a backup engine .... No matter ..."

[carlos]

I fly 747’s. The loss of one engine, with no other issues, is at most, a PAN PAN, PAN & sometimes not even that.

[MBrieger]

Does anyone recall the Commercial with the German Coast Guard?
US Ship: We are sinking, we are sinking
German Coast Guard: What are you thinking about?

Explains it all. Stay calm and don't panic 😜