Cathay Pacific Airbus fault could have caused major damage, says report

The incident occurred shortly after the plane had taken off from Hong Kong en route to Zurich in early September. The pilots received a fire warning in the cockpit, shut down the engine and deployed fire extinguishers.

The aircraft, which was carrying 348 passengers and crew, landed safely back in Hong Kong.

But the incident raised concerns over the safety of the engines used across Cathay Pacific’s A350 fleet, particularly after checks revealed issues on another 15 aircraft.

The preliminary report found that the protective surround of a fuel hose had ruptured, leaving “a discernible hole in the hose”. There were signs of a fire in parts of the engine, including soot and burn marks.

Further checks revealed another five fuel hoses in the same engine were also defective.

If not promptly detected and addressed, the report said, external, this situation could have escalated “into a more serious engine fire, potentially causing extensive damage to the aircraft.”

To address the problem, the AAIA recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) require Rolls-Royce to develop new inspection requirements for the relevant engines.

EASA issued an “Emergency Airworthiness Directive” days after the incident. It required operators using the same type of engine to carry out inspections of fuel pipes, and remove any that were ‘potentially compromised’.

Cathay Pacific took delivery of its first Airbus A350 in 2016. The aircraft is rapidly becoming a mainstay of airlines’ long-haul fleets around the world. Its main selling point is its high efficiency and low running costs.

A key part of that efficiency is the engine. The Trent XWB was developed by Rolls-Royce specifically for the A350. The incident initially raised concerns that there could be a serious problem affecting the global A350 fleet. That would have been a major setback for the British manufacturer.