THE JT8D ENG ON THIS ACR D9-32 HAD AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE THAT PREVENTED THE FIRE DETECTION SYS FROM ALERTING THE FLC. NOT UNTIL THE CFR PERSONNEL GAVE THEIR POST FIRE RPT DID THEY LEARN THAT THE ENG HAD BEEN BURNING.

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DC9-32; 500 LBS BELOW MAX GROSS TKOF WT. AT ROTATION R (#2) ENG FAILED. FIRST THING HEARD WAS A VERY LOUD POP FOLLOWED BY ACFT YAW AND LOSS OF PERFORMANCE. EVERY PREFLT CHK WAS SOP; BASICALLY THE SURPRISE OF ALL SURPRISES! ACFT PERFORMANCE WAS VERY SIMILAR TO SIMULATOR. LEVEL 3 AND 4 WX WAS ALL AROUND ARPT SO IN ADDITION TO COMPLETING CHKLISTS WE WERE DEVIATING AROUND WX WHICH EXTENDED OUR AIR TIME A LITTLE MORE THAN WE WANTED OR WOULD HAVE LIKED. TWR; DEP; APCH COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE COOPERATIVE. THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT/SUGGESTION: THE PERCEPTION OF THE CAPT AND MYSELF WAS THAT WE HAD INCURRED SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE R ENG. HOWEVER; WE HAD NO INDICATION OF A FIRE IN THE COCKPIT. UPON LNDG ROLLOUT THE EMER TRUCKS WERE RIGHT ON TOP OF US WHICH WAS GREATLY APPRECIATED. WE WERE UNAWARE THAT WE HAD A FIRE. NO ONE TOLD US! WE ASKED THE TWR TO HAVE TRUCKS COME TAKE A LOOK AND ONLY RECEIVED A ROGER FROM TWR. FREQ CONGESTION ADDED TO THE CONFUSION UNTIL WE FINALLY HAD TO ASK FOR A DISCRETE FREQ TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE FIRE CREW. HAD WE KNOWN WE HAD A FIRE IN THE ENG WE MAY HAVE EVACED THE PAX -- MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE IN FACT! WITNESSES IN TERMINAL RPTEDLY SAW FIRE ON APCH -- WHY DIDN'T TWR OR SOMEONE TELL US! EVERY ARPT SHOULD HAVE A DISCRETE RADIO FREQ SO CREW CAN STAY IN LOOP WITH TWR AND EMER VEHICLES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THEY NEVER GOT A FIRE WARNING ON THIS ENG AND AFTER LNDG HE COULD SEE WHY. THE ENG WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED WITH PARTS MISSING AND THE COWLING WAS ALMOST BLOWN OFF OF THE ACFT. HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT ELSE THEY COULD HAVE DONE TO RETURN SOONER; BUT HE WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED KNOWING ABOUT THE FIRE. HE ALSO FEELS THAT THE FLC SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE ABOUT GETTING A DISCRETE FREQ SOONER.