Transport / Loganair plane diverted to Aberdeen after engine fire, investigation report says
AN ENGINE fire led to a Sumburgh to Glasgow Loganair flight having to divert to Aberdeen last year, an investigation into the incident has confirmed.
The Loganair ATR 42-500 aircraft suffered a failure of one of its engines while cruising near Aberdeen after taking off from Sumburgh on 23 July, with a subsequent fire taking place inside its cowlings due to a leak from the fuel return line.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the fuel return line had become loose following the engine failure.
The AAIB added that the flight crew correctly followed the checklist procedures to shut down the engine, and the fire was extinguished.
The twin-engine turboprop aircraft diverted to Aberdeen and landed without further incident.
The AAIB said the aircraft met certification requirements in place at the time, “and there have been no other similar events in the history of the aircraft”.
However, the aircraft manufacturer has commenced a safety review to identify any possible actions which would further reduce the likelihood of leakage from the fuel return line.
A Loganair spokesperson said in response: “While the recommended actions are on the engine manufacturer, we will continue to work with all parties involved to support as is appropriate.
“We thank our pilots and cabin crew who acted in an exemplary manner. As always, the health and safety of our customers and staff is our highest priority.”
This video below of the landing in Aberdeen was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Steven Shanks.
Loganair flight LM436 landing with a single engine after being diverted to Aberdeen today! Big response from the emergency crews but looks to be safely on the ground. @airlivenet #aviationdaily pic.twitter.com/CwFMqjquea
— Steven Shanks (@stevenzop) July 23, 2024
A report published by the AAIB today (Thursday) said there were 30 passengers and three crew on board at the time.
The aircraft took off from Sumburgh at around 12.30pm on the day in question.
At around 1pm, around 28 nautical miles north east of Aberdeen Airport, the pilot flying the plane described heading a “big thump” or a “muffled bang”.
The plane immediately yawed to the left, which was corrected under control of autopilot.
With warnings then showing in the cockpit, the crew completed an emergency checklist procedure for an engine fire.
The co-pilot issued a mayday call while the main pilot initiated a descent, indicating to air traffic control that they intended to divert to Aberdeen.
On contact with Aberdeen the emergency was downgraded to a PAN and the plane landed safely on one engine at around 1.30pm.
The AAIB said after shutting down the aircraft, the crew were informed by a ground engineer that fuel was leaking from the area of the affected engine.
The report’s conclusion said: “The No 1 engine suffered a contained failure.
“This was due to significant degradation of its number six main bearing which resulted in the rotating high-pressure turbine being no longer correctly located.
“This allowed the rotating parts to contact adjacent parts causing significant damage to the turbine stages.
“There was an under-cowling fire which was due to leaking fuel igniting on hot engine parts. It was detected and extinguished by the crew using onboard systems; both fire bottles were discharged.”
The report added the reason for the fuel return line becoming loose, and leaking, “could have been either that the connection had not been tightened correctly when it was installed or that it had become loose due to the forces of the engine failure ‘whipping’ the fuel return line”.
“Maintenance records, interviews with the maintenance staff and indicator markings appeared to confirm that it had been tightened correctly, and the aircraft manufacturer was not aware of any other cases where this connection had become loose,” it said.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
