The U.K. aviation watchdog has revealed the cause of an engine fire on a Boeing 767 during a transatlantic flight last year, and is calling on its American counterpart to rein in the aero giant.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has published its report on the February 2023 incident, in which flames erupted from the engine of a Boeing 767-332 shortly after taking off from Edinburgh Airport.
The AAIB, the government branch tasked with investigating civil aircraft incidents within the U.K., has now issued a safety recommendation to the Federal Aviation Department, asking it to ensure that Boeing's planes "comply with the certification requirements for large transport aircraft."
Newsweek has contacted Boeing to inquire about the cause of this incident, and whether it is cooperating with the FAA in relation to the AAIB's request.
Minutes after taking off from Edinburgh Airport, passengers onboard Delta Airlines flight DAL209 witnessed flames shooting out of one of the plane's Pratt & Whitney-designed turbofan engines.
According to the AAIB, a high-pressure turbine blade had "fractured" in the 767's right engine, damaging a further five blades.
Vibrations from the "out of balance" turbine led a section of the wing to rupture, causing fuel to leak out, which was then ignited by the engine's exhaust.
The pilots diverted the passenger jet, which was bound for New York's JFK Airport, to Glasgow, as suggested by air traffic control.
The fire extinguished before landing, and the aircraft made a safe landing at Prestwick Airport, after which passengers were "rapidly disembarked" without their baggage as emergency services attended to the leaking plane.
While there were no injuries, the AAIB said that there was "the potential for a more significant event to have occurred."
The report warned that fuel leakage was within close proximity of the plane's "hot brakes," caused by the overweight landing, which could have ignited the fuel that was leaking from the right wing onto the tarmac.
The AAIB's report questioned why the vibrations from a broken engine were sufficient to fracture the Boeing 767's "slat track housing drain tube."
At the end of its report, the AAIB said: "It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration requires the Boeing Airplane Company to demonstrate that following this serious incident, the design of the slat track housing drain tube on the Boeing 767 family of aircraft continues to comply with the certification requirements for large transport aircraft."
However, the AAIB acknowledged that, following the serious incident, Boeing has launched a review of the design of its drain tube for "potential reliability improvements."
According to the report, Boeing's review found that "there was no increased risk to a catastrophic outcome from a failed drain tube."
The agency said that the FAA's review of this analysis was "pending."
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? ContactLiveNews@newsweek.com.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
