Particles found in engines of jet that made emergency landing
Fine particles were found lodged inside both engines of a Cathay Pacific Airways jet that suffered engine failure and made an emergency landing in Hong Kong four months ago.
An investigation into the incident is continuing to determine what the particles are and where they come from.
Similar spherical particles were present in the Airbus' fuel tanks and engine fuel system as well as in some of the equipment used to pump fuel into the aircraft at the airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, where the flight began.
The investigators have determined that the particles could not have been generated from within the aircraft airframe or engine systems under normal operating conditions.
The findings also indicate that the refuelling system at the airport in Surabaya was used to refuel the A330 before the completion of certain recommissioning procedures on extension work at the refuelling stands. Some of the procedures were not in line with aviation industry guidelines and practices.
Cathay Pacific welcomed the findings, which indicate that the aircraft and engine systems were not at fault but were compromised by outside contaminants.
A spokesman for the airline said no similar abnormalities or problems had been reported since the incident.
Flight CX780 from Surabaya, with 309 passengers and 13 crew members on board, made an emergency landing at Chek Lap Kok at 1.43pm on April 13 after suffering engine problems. The hard landing left all four tyres on the left-hand side of the aircraft and two tyres on the right deflated and on fire. The passengers and crew were evacuated but eight passengers suffered injuries and were taken to hospital.
Following the incident, there was suspicion that jet fuel contamination may have caused the plane's engines to fail.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department said the investigation findings were tentative and were an update to the preliminary report issued on May 6.
'The investigation team will continue to collect and study all relevant information in order to determine the circumstances and causes relating to the accident,' the spokesman said. 'More in-depth investigation and analysis work has to be done before any conclusion can be drawn.'
Cathay Pacific is one of the largest operators of Airbus A330s, with more than 30 in its fleet. The carrier mainly uses the A330-300 on short-haul flights to and from destinations such as Singapore and Indonesia.
