Transport / Investigation fails to determine cause of loss of cockpit electrics on Sumburgh-bound plane
AN INVESTIGATION into the temporary loss of electrics in the cockpit of a flight from Aberdeen to Sumburgh has failed to determine a cause.
The Loganair ATR 42-500 aircraft had taken off from Aberdeen on 27 August 2022 when some of the cockpit indicators and displays went blank when landing lights were turned off.
The landing lights were turned back on, and the failure lasted only three seconds.
The plane – which had 25 passengers and three crew on board – returned to Aberdeen and landed uneventfully, but a similar failure happened on the ground when the landing lights were turned off.
Despite the incident happening in 2022, a report has only been released by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) today (Thursday).
Investigations revealed a fault in the ‘1PA contactor’, which was stuck in an intermediate position and unable to supply backup power to the emergency electrical network.
The AAIB said this was a contributory factor but “not a cause of the loss of power”.
The report highlights that that there were two previous events on ATR 72-500 aircraft involving unexplained loss of flight display screens which were related to turning the landing light switches off.
The aircraft manufacturer has undertaken safety actions since the 2022 incident, including publishing instructions for operational tests of 1PA contactors.
The AAIB has made a safety recommendation to the aircraft manufacturer to continue investigating possible causes of the electrical failure.
A Loganair spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the report published this morning concerning an event from 2022.
“While the recommended actions are with the aircraft 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 safety of our customers and crew remains our highest priority.”
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