Airline safety review after BA Heathrow crash
[September 5th 2008]
Airline safety is to be reviewed after the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that a build up of ice in the fuel supply was probably the cause of the BA crash at Heathrow in January.
The AAIB has made three urgent safety recommendations following its initial report into the Heathrow crash. The first calls for interim measures to be introduced for the plane and engine in question – a Boeing 777 powered by Rolls Royce Trent 800 engines – “to reduce the risk of ice formed from water in aviation turbine fuel causing a restriction in the fuel feed system”.
But the second recommendation is that immediate action should also be taken to consider whether a similar problem could also occur with other aircraft and engine combinations.
In its final safety recommendation, the AAIB calls for the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Adminstration to “review the current certification requirements to ensure that aircraft and engine fuel systems are tolerant to the potential build up and sudden release of ice in the fuel feed system”.
The build up of ice in the fuel feed system is thought to have occurred when the BA flight from Beijing to Heathrow encountered extremely cold air – as low as -76C – when it flew over Siberia.
Because of the restricted fuel flow caused by the ice the engines failed to provide the thrust required and the plane crashed short of the runway at Heathrow. Of the 152 people on board, one suffered a broken leg and 12 others had minor injuries. This was the first crash by a Boeing 777, and there are still over 700 777s in operation.
Boeing has given advice to pilots about revising the speed and altitude of flights to try to prevent the same scenario happening again and, like rival aircraft manufacturer Airbus, is also following the AAIB’s safety recommendations.
“The investigation into the cause of this accident continues. Further testing will be carried out to establish more clearly how ice forms within the fuel system and how it might cause the restricted fuel flows seen on this flight,” the AAIB says in its conclusion. No date has yet been announced for the publication of the AAIB’s final report into the accident.
Written by: Nick Purdom
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