The aircraft making a single engine landing following the incident at Perth. Australian Transport Safety Board has confirmed that the ...
 |
| The aircraft making a single engine landing following the incident at Perth. |
Australian Transport Safety Board has confirmed that the June 25, 2017 in-flight vibration incident of the Air Asia X Flight D7237 was indeed due to an engine fan blade failure.
The Airbus A330 aircraft which departed Perth, Western Australia carrying 359 passengers, bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia experienced moderate in-flight jerking following the failure.
The incident happened while the aircraft registered 9M-XXE was climbing from flight level (FL) 380 (37,000 ft) to FL 400 near Carnarvon, Western Australia.
The Airbus A330's port Rolls Royce Trent 700 engine fan blade failed resulting in engine damage and significant airframe vibration. The failure resulted in rotational imbalance to the fan, causing the vibration.
The flight crew conducted an in-flight engine shutdown and returned to Perth with out any further events. Despite the shutdown, the vibration continued, as the airflow kept the rotor rotating.
The blade section and associated engine debris were retained within the engine cowls. Examination of the retained fan blade section identified that the separation was likely due to metal fatigue that originated within the blade’s internal structure.
Rolls Royce investigation found a section of the fan blade separated at about one quarter of its length from the blade base.
ATSB is continuing the investigation into the incident and is expected to release the final report in the coming months.
