ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 203061
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| Date: | Sunday 26 June 2016 |
| Time: | 11:15 UTC |
| Type: |  Airbus A330-323 |
| Owner/operator: | American Airlines |
| Registration: | N276AY |
| MSN: | 375 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PW4168A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 291 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |
| Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, NC (CLT/KCLT) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The cabin of American Airlines Flight 731 filled with smoke whilst the aircraft was on stand at London Heathrow Airport after boarding. The cabin crew were unsuccessful in making contact with the commander, and one of the flight attendants (FAs) initiated a passenger evacuation.
.
Several passengers exited using the emergency slides from the two aft doors, but most left using the jetbridge at exit 2L. Passengers opened the two emergency exits situated immediately aft of the wings (exit 3L and exit 3R). Exit 3L had not been armed, so the slides did not deploy and the passengers did not use the exit. Exit 3R was armed and opened by a passenger and the slide deployed, but this exit was not used either.
.
The commander attempted to halt the evacuation, (because he believed he had isolated the source of the smoke) which caused some confusion until the FAs encouraged all remaining passengers to exit via the jetbridge.
.
Air Traffic Control (ATC) observed the incident and alerted the emergency services, which reached the scene quickly. Three passengers and several FAs received treatment for the effects of smoke inhalation and one passenger suffered a minor leg injury while using an escape slide.
Conclusion
Smoke entered the cabin after the APU load compressor oil seal became compromised, allowing hot oil to enter and pyrolyse in the bleed air supply to the cabin. Examination of the APU after the event revealed considerable metallic debris in its shared oil system. This debris eventually caused the load compressor carbon seal to fail, allowing hot oil to enter the bleed air supply to the cabin and causing smoke in the cabin. The initiating source of the debris could not be identified positively due to the distribution of debris throughout the oil system.
This emergency situation, involving an evacuation from an aircraft parked at the gate with the jetbridge in place, was unusual for the FAs, who had not practised it as part of the aircraft operator’s training programme. Prompt and effective communication between the cabin and the flight deck might have avoided an evacuation, but the pilots and the IRO were distracted by the presence of an engineer, who was attending to a defect. The normal interphone call function used by the cabin crew did not attract their attention.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-airbus-a330-323-n276ay
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 5 August 2017 | N276AY | American Airlines | 0 | East Hampton, New York |  |
non |
| Turbulence | ||||||
Media:
Airbus A330 evacuation on stand, Heathrow Airport, 26 June 16 https://t.co/okAmQtSAHc pic.twitter.com/4pCVLgiAis
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) December 14, 2017
@BBCBreaking pic.twitter.com/tKUPMtSERl
— Ross Hiscock (@rosshiscock) 26 juni 2016
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2017 20:50 | harro | Added |
| 18-Dec-2017 20:43 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 18-Dec-2017 20:44 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 28-Mar-2024 11:14 | ASN | Updated [Departure airport] |
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