A330 Overwater Flameout
Raises ETOPS Issues
FRANCES FIORINO/NEW YORK
With engines windmilling on the A330, the pilot
managed to guide the aircraft to a runway 85 naut. mi.
away
The
Aug. 24 shutdown of both 71,000-lb.-thrust Rolls-Royce
Trent 700 engines on an Air Transat Airbus A330-200
transiting the Atlantic Ocean stunned industry--and
promptly stirred regulators, airlines and manufacturers to
action, initiating engine and fuel system inspections and
probes of training and maintenance practices.

In the
wake of the near-catastrophic event, flight safety experts
can be expected to revisit all aspects of extended
twin-engine overwater operations.
Just
last week, Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette
revealed Air Transat agreed to a request by Transport
Canada to implement special ETOPS training sessions for
all flight crew as well as to review proper procedures,
which include fuel management and the need to divert to
the nearest alternate airport at first sign of
engine-related emergency. In addition, Air Transat
initiated a comprehensive review of the safety of its
maintenance and operations and has provided Transport
Canada with a corrective action plan.
The
Portuguese safety board, the Gabiente de Pevencao e
Investigacao de Acidentes com Aeronaves (GPIAA), is
leading the investigation, with assistance from the
Transport Safety Board of Canada and DCGA, the French
civil aviation authority. GPIAA's preliminary report
determined that both engines failed as a result of fuel
starvation, and that a low-pressure fuel line on the No. 2
engine, Rolls-Royce Trent 700 serial no. 41055, had failed
"probably as a result of its coming into contact with
an adjacent hydraulic line" (see p. 36).
 |
180
and 120 minute ETOPS circles |
Montreal-based
Air Transat Flight TS236, an A330-200, C-GITS, departed
Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport as scheduled, at 8:10
p.m. (EST) on Aug. 23, en route to Lisbon, with 293
passengers and 13 crewmembers. The twin-engine aircraft is
certified to operate under the ETOPS 120-min. rule, that
is, permitted to divert with one operable engine to an
airport that is up to 2 hr. away.
Flight
TS236 was cruising at Flight Level 390 (39,000 ft.). At
0536Z, the flight crew became aware of a fuel imbalance
between the left and right wing main fuel tanks. At about
0541Z, the crew, concerned about the lower-than-expected
fuel quantity indication, elected to divert from the
intended flight route to Lajes Field (LPLA), which is
located on the northeast tip of Terceira Island in the
Azores--850 mi. west of Lisbon.
At
0548Z, the crew ascertained a leak might be the cause of
the fuel loss and declared an emergency to Santa Maria
Oceanic Control. At 0613Z, with Flight 236 135 mi. distant
from Lajes, the flight crew alerted air traffic control of
the failure of the right Rolls-Royce Trent 772-211B
engine.
About
13 min. later, about 85 naut. mi. from Lajes at an
altitude of about FL345, the left engine failed. The
flight crew advised ATC that ditching at sea was a
possibility.
The
aircraft, which has a range of 5,600 naut. mi., and can
accommodate up to 406 passengers in high-density
configuration, became a glider. Its fuel supply--tanks
have a maximum capacity of 36,750 U.S. gal.--was
apparently depleted.
The
cabin crew prepared the passengers for ditching at sea and
issued brace command. ATC provided radar vectors to the
flight crew, who proceeded on an engines-out night visual
approach in what the GPIAA described as good weather
conditions--wind 330 deg. at 8 kt., visibility unlimited,
few clouds at 2,500 ft. and 5,000 ft. and temperature at
19C.
When
the A330 touched down on Lajes' 10,865 X 300-ft. Runway 33
at 0646Z, eight of 10 tires ruptured. The GPIAA report
said small fires that started in the main gear wheels were
extinguished by crash response vehicles in position at the
field. "There was no evidence of fire on the engine
or fuel system," an Air Transat official said.
The
GPIAA said nine passengers and two cabin crewmembers
received minor injuries in the emergency evacuation,
which, according to Flight Director Meleni Tesic, was
completed in 90 sec. Reportedly, there was no fire or
smoke in the cabin.
Passengers
described the landing as "brutal" and
"hysterical" and some accused the cabin crew of
panicking. Tesic said there "was absolutely no panic
in the cabin." With no PA system, she explained,
attendants must shout as loudly as possible so passengers
can hear safety instructions. Some passengers may have
misconstrued the shouting for panic behavior.
Capt.
Robert Piche said at a press conference he was "fully
confident" the aircraft was loaded with fuel when the
flight departed Toronto Pearson. He said he had minimum
power with which to control the aircraft on descent to
Lajes.
Passengers
and the public hailed the flight crew as heroes, but Piche
dismissed this, saying, "I was only doing my job . .
. . we train for the worst." First Officer Dirk
DeJager agreed. Piche, 49, and with 30 years of airline
experience has been employed by Air Transat for nearly
five years. DeJager, 28, has been flying with Air Transat
for about five years.
No one
had to be reminded of possible endings for the TS236
story. Lajes, a U.S. air base from which air crews and
support troops are deployed, has high terrain to 1,925 ft.
2.75 naut. mi. west, and 503 ft. 0.25 naut. mi. east. From
October to May, strong winds create hazardous crosswinds.
Immediately
following the incident, the Transportation Safety Board of
Canada suspended that country's largest charter airline
from operating 120-min. ETOPS for its three A330s in a
fleet of 24 aircraft, and launched a special audit of the
carrier's maintenance practices. It also increased
surveillance of Air Transat's aviation program to ensure
compliance with Canadian Aviation Regulations. "The
issue is that a leak in a pipe should not result in two
engine shutdowns. That is a serious concern," said
TSB Chairman Benoit Bouchard.
Air
Transat called the rule "normal" and "a
usual procedure in this type of circumstance" and did
not expect it to have more than a minor impact on
day-to-day operations. The carrier is to continue to fly
ETOPS under the 60-min. rule, that is, an engine-out
aircraft must be no more than 1 hr. from an airport. This
means Air Transat will fly routes closer to land masses.
As a
precautionary measure, Air Transat completed inspections
of its engines on its A330s. Air Canada, which operates
eight A330s, all of which have Rolls-Royce Trent 700
engines, undertook and completed inspection of the
powerplants to ensure no mechanical conditions existed of
the type that may have contributed to the Air Transat
emergency.
On
Aug. 29, Airbus issued an AOT (All Operators Telex) to
operators of Airbus aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce
Trent 700s, saying the source of Air Transat's fuel leak
is "a damaged fuel feed pipe." Further, it says
the damage is "due to interference with the hydraulic
pipe from the aft hydraulic pump in the vicinity of the HP
fuel pump inlet" and that the interference can result
in "a significant fuel leak." It says the pipes
are modified as part of Rolls-Royce service bulletin
RB211-29-C625. Complete application of the SB would ensure
adequate clearance, according to the AOT, adding that the
SB appears to "be partially applied on the affected
engine."
The
aim of the AOT is to launch a one-time inspection of the
A330/Trent 700 fleet and spare engines, to ensure there is
no interference between the parts in question and to
complete that inspection within 72 hr. of receipt of the
AOT.
Air
Transat late last week was trying to regain its
equilibrium. The carrier, a subsidiary of a leading
Canadian travel services company, Transat A.T., began
operations in 1987. Air Transat operates charters from
Canada and Europe to southern destinations. It has a total
fleet of 24 aircraft, including three A330s (two -200s and
one -300), four A310-300s, six Lockheed L-1011-500s, seven
L-1011-10s and four Boeing 757-200s. The airline says it
transported 3.5 million passengers last year.
The
company has not had any accidents causing injury, nor has
the aircraft involved in the Lajes occurrence been
implicated in another incident. According to Air Transat
President and CEO Denis Jacob, the carrier has had 54
minor events out of 2,800 listed for Canada's total air
industry.
The
Lajes incident, however, is the second emergency
evacuation for the carrier within seven days. On Aug. 18,
smoke issued from the cabin ceiling lights of an L-1011 as
it taxied to the departure runway at Orlando, Fla., with
324 passengers and 14 crew on board, The pilot ordered an
evacuation that resulted in a few minor injuries.
The
crippled A330 sat on Lajes sole runway, forcing the
airport to cease flight operations, stranding about 600
passengers, until Aug. 28, when repair crews arrived with
equipment to move the aircraft.
Pierre Sparaco contributed to this report from
Paris.
See Also:
Airbus
Strives For Operational Flexibility
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