Engine "Shattered" On Continental 777

The right engine of a Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200ER "shattered" during takeoff from Newark Liberty International Airport Tuesday, forcing an aborted takeoff.

With engine debris strewn across the runway, officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had to shut down the affected runway for a period of time, an FAA spokesman said. Port Authority spokesman Pasquale DiFulco said the runway reopened after workers removed all the debris.

"The episode cause only minor delays," he said.

The 777, bound for Tel Aviv, was carrying 260 passengers and 16 crew members. The accident occurred at 1710 local time, and the plane had not lifted off. There were no injuries reported, according to New Jersey's The Record.

"The flight aborted its takeoff after the engine malfunction occurred," said Mary Clark, a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines.

Professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, William D. Waldock -- who is also a crash investigator -- said it "sounded like the plane had suffered an uncontained engine failure, which occurs when parts and fragments burst through the engine casing."

If this is, indeed, the case, it is likely that those on board benefitted from a design feature of the Boeing 777: shielding that prevents engine parts from piercing the plane's fuselage and fuel tanks.

"There have been some catastrophic accidents where uncontained engine failures pierced fuel tanks," Waldock said, citing a 1985 incident in Manchester, England in which 55 passengers were killed after an aborted takeoff.

Continental Airlines uses two GE90-90B engines on its Boeing 777s, rated at 90,000 pounds thrust each according to the airline.

The carrier has launched an investigation. Passengers and crew were moved to another aircraft departed for Tel Aviv Tuesday evening.

FMI: www.newarkairport.com, www.ntsb.gov, www.continental.com