Emergency landing BA A319 Heathrow May 24/13

[bizjets101]

News and video

No injuries, safe landing, aircraft had just departed Heathrow - for unknown reasons cowlings reported blown off both engines, video shows trailing smoke from Port engine, a engine fire was reported?, in Starboard engine.

Should be updates shortly.

Passenger Twitter photo

[Troubleshot]

This Pic shows the right...hmmm someone forget to do up the cowl latches?? DOH!

british-airways1.jpg (29.45 KiB) Viewed 4442 times

[Siddley Hawker]

...And somebody else missed it on the walk around.

[photofly]

I wonder why they didn't go to Stansted; it was closer.

[crazy_aviator]

Rumours of a "Birdstrike", must have interviewed the 7 yr old in seat 7D Another one, the Left engine was overworked ( must be why the cowls came off ,,, too hot, take the sweater off, get exposed ) Me thinks the pilots of that airline are going to get a course on pre-flighting, especially cowling fastener workings and the mechanic is going to need some ice packs for his/her arse

[Troubleshot]

Haha, the ole holes lined up in the Swiss cheese on this one. I thought that is why they started painting the cowl latches hunters orange so we wouldn't miss them. I wonder where the cowls ended up? you'd think they would have ripped off just after take-off like Skyservice's did a while back.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forum ... ain/89065/

[Oldfartus]

This Pic shows the right...hmmm someone forget to do up the cowl latches?? DOH!

No doubt they checked the radiator and the windscreen washer volume and forgot to do up the bonnet catch?

So you've ruled out cowls blown off with engine problems? Save doing an investigation, all the airline need to do is contact you boys.

[sanjet]

...And somebody else missed it on the walk around.

You telling me you never had a AME add oil/hydraulic with the engine cowling open while you did the walkaround, this happens to me all the time, a 1 hour turn doesn't give you much time with these kind of operations. There's obviously more to this story, glad at least they came back to terra ferma.

[cplpilot]

I am curious to read the reports...

http://www.airliners.net/photo/British- ... bdc2f1aac1

[200hr Wonder]

MAybe the used the wrong sized screws.

[iflyforpie]

So you've ruled out cowls blown off with engine problems? Save doing an investigation, all the airline need to do is contact you boys.

Problems on both engines that caused the cowls to blow open, yet not severe enough to warrant an immediate or forced landing?

This has human factors written all over it.

[ahramin]

No point speculating on what started this incident but it may be a good time to remind anyone operating an Airbus: check the cowl latches on your walkaround. Bend over, stick your head under the cowl and make sure the cowl is flush and all 4 latches are flush with the bottom of the cowl. Look from both sides. Airbus highlighted this less than a year ago in Safety First.

[Siddley Hawker]

..a 1 hour turn doesn't give you much time with these kind of operations.

Agreed, but this wasn't a turn around.

http://avherald.com/h?article=462beb5e&opt=0

[boeingboy]

So you've ruled out cowls blown off with engine problems? Save doing an investigation, all the airline need to do is contact you boys.

Yes.

So - you've worked on Airbus narrow bodies eh? This is a recurring problem and well known that the latches on these aircraft are easily mis latched or not latched. They constantly drill this into us and warnings in the books are everywhere. No engine problem could exist that simply blows the cowls off. Easy to see even concidering that (some versions) of the 319 needs to have the cowls opened to check/service the IDGs which is done on overnight checks.

Not much "investigating" is needed on this one. I'll bet someone is looking for a new job now though......

[roscoe]

Not again. Once upon a time a second signature was required if the fan cowls were opened.

[iflyforpie]

Not sure how it is in the UK but in the US they have what's called RII (Required Inspection Item) that requires a dual inspection and pretty much encompasses anything that could affect the safety of the aircraft. RIIs are carrier based, not all encompassing, but one carrier's plane I worked on had RII for the two camlocks holding the escape slides in place.

[linecrew]

The engines on this A319 were the "Rolls Royce" variety. Are there any in Canada with this type of engine or are they all CFM56s?

[photofly]

http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/spe ... g_euoe.cfm

As the aircraft departed Runway 27L at London
Heathrow Airport, the fan cowl doors from both engines
detached, puncturing a fuel pipe on the right engine
and damaging the airframe, and some aircraft systems.
The flight crew elected to return to Heathrow. On the
approach to land an external fire developed on the right
engine. The left engine continued to perform normally
throughout the flight. The right engine was shut down
and the aircraft landed safely and was brought to a
stop on Runway 27R. The emergency services quickly
attended and extinguished the fire in the right engine.
The passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via the
escape slides, without injury.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the fan cowl
doors on both engines were left unlatched during
maintenance and this was not identified prior to aircraft
departure.

[boeingboy]

The AAIB said that prior to the BA incident there had been 32 reported fan cowl door detachment events by July 2012, 80 percent of which had occurred during takeoff.

[ahramin]

Now I understand how this could have happened. BALPA is on record that checking the required items on the pilot's walkaround is actually not the pilot's job. After all the pilot might have to bend down to check, most undignified.

David Reynolds, BALPA head of safety:

"It is something [for] the engineers to check. It's their job to make sure they are closed." Reynolds said that while pilots make a check for obvious anomalies, they could only have noticed a failure to latch the cowl doors "by lying on their back underneath the engines, which is not practical."

ENG 2 LH SIDE
* Thrust reversers pivot doors............................................................................................ CLOSED
Door position sensor harness access..................................................................................CLOSED
Door pivot and position sensor access................................................................................CLOSED
IDG Oil fill access door........................................................................................................CLOSED
Press relief and Start valve/a-ice valve/Rvsr GND safety access....................................... CLOSED
* Drain masts................................................................................................CONDITION/NO LEAK
* Reversers and fan cowls................................................................................CLOSED/LATCHED
* Engine inlet and fan blades............................................................................................... CHECK

ENG 1 LH SIDE
* Thrust reversers pivot doors............................................................................................ CLOSED
Door position sensor harness access..................................................................................CLOSED
Door pivot and position sensor access................................................................................CLOSED
IDG Oil filler access door.....................................................................................................CLOSED
Press relief and Start valve/a-ice valve/Rvsr GND safety access....................................... CLOSED
* Drain masts................................................................................................CONDITION/NO LEAK
* Reversers and fan cowls................................................................................CLOSED/LATCHED
* Engine inlet and fan blades............................................................................................... CHECK