What happened
On July 28, 2010, at approximately 0904 UTC, a United Airlines Boeing 777-200B, registration 219UA, was climbing through 11,000 feet MSL when the crew heard a loud bang originating from the number 2 engine. Three to four seconds later, a high-pitched grinding noise was heard. Shortly thereafter, all engine instrumentation for the number 2 engine dropped to zero.
The crew declared an emergency and descended the aircraft to 10,000 feet MSL. To prepare for landing, the crew jettisoned approximately 90,000 lbs of fuel. The aircraft landed approximately 12,000 pounds overweight. There were no injuries resulting from the event. While the engine failure was contained, metal debris was found in the tailpipe.
The investigation
The number 2 engine, a PW4090-3 (S/N 222178), was removed from the aircraft at the United Airlines facility in Narita, Japan. Under the direction of the Japanese Transportation Safety Board, the engine was transported to United Airlines' facilities in San Francisco, California, for teardown and examination by the National Transportation Safety Board.