An Airbus A350 passenger aircraft of Cathay Pacific arrives from Hong Kong and an Airbus A350 passenger aircraft of Asiana Airlines prepares to take off to Seoul at JFK International Airport in New York as the Manhattan skyline looms in the background on February 7, 2024. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
A fuel leak caused an alarming engine fire on an Airbus 1350, forcing Cathay Pacific to ground the plane before further damage.
To be specific, BBC reported it as an "engine component failure." Hong Kong's AAIA or Air Accident Investigation Authority specified that this was caused by a broken fuel hose, although a few had been damaged. The engine, in question, was the Trent XWB-97 made by Rolls-Royce.
Upon takeoff from Hong Kong to Zurich, warnings were ringing in the cockpit. The pilots immediately shut down the engine and used fire extinguishers
At the time, the Airbus 1350 has 348 passengers, including crew. While it raised safety concerns across Cathay Pacific, the plane was able to land back safely in Hong Kong
Investigation revealed that 15 more aircraft in the A350 fleet of Cathay Pacific had issues. The protective covering that surrounded the fuel hoses had a hole and there were signs of a fire in engines, such as burn and soot. The same engine has 5 more damaged fuel hoses in total.
CNN cited that had pilots acted a few minutes late, a severe engine fire could've caused serious damage to the plane and harmed the 300 passengers aboard.
Moving forward, AAIA is highly suggesting Rolls Royce follow new inspection rules that EASA or the European Union Aviation Safety Agency will have to employ. EASA responded by releasing the "Emergency Airworthiness Directive," requiring operators using similar engines to inspect fuel pipes and get rid of 'potentially compromised' materials.
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