ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196328
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| Date: | Sunday 25 June 2017 |
| Time: | 08:16 |
| Type: |  Airbus A330-343 |
| Owner/operator: | Air Asia X |
| Registration: | 9M-XXE |
| MSN: | 1075 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2009 |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce Trent 772-B60 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 367 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | 830 km NNE of Perth, WA -
 Indian Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Perth Airport, WA (PER/YPPH) |
| Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK) | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
At 07:10 local time an AirAsia X Airbus A330-343X, registered 9M-XXE, departed Perth, Australia, on the scheduled passenger service XAX237 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The flight crew consisted of the captain, as the pilot flying (PF), and the first officer, as the pilot monitoring (PM).
The flight was planned as an extended diversion time operation (EDTO) with a maximum diversion time of 120 minutes. The first EDTO segment commenced about 1 hour into the flight, and 8 NM before the NONOG waypoint. The flight crew reported that they carried out an EDTO brief before entering the EDTO segment. The EDTO briefing included that, in the event of an engine failure, Perth Airport was the nearest suitable alternate.
The flight had been progressing normally with the autopilot and autothrust systems engaged, when at 08:14, about 1 hour and 4 minutes into the flight, the flight crew initiated a planned climb from the initial cruising altitude of flight level (FL) 380 to climb to FL 400. Shortly after (and after passing NONOG), the flight crew reported hearing a ‘metallic’ bang. At about the same time, the electronic centralised aircraft monitor (ECAM) presented a number of alerts, including engine 1 control system fault (ENG 1 CTL SYS FAULT) and engine 1 stall (ENG 1 STALL). The crew also reported that vibrations through the airframe commenced just after the ENG 1 STALL alert.
The flight crew immediately commenced the required procedures presented on the ECAM (referred to as the ‘ECAM actions’) associated with the ENG 1 STALL alert, including shutting the left engine (RR Trent 700) down. The ECAM then displayed an amber ‘LAND ASAP’ alert.
About the same time as the left engine malfunctioned, air traffic control (ATC) requested the flight crew call on a new frequency. The flight crew did not respond. At 08:16 the flight crew declared a MAYDAY to ATC, stating that they had an engine issue and could not maintain level. ATC acknowledged the MAYDAY and cleared the aircraft to return to Perth, and operate in the block altitude of FL 290 to 400.
At the same time that the crew commenced the descent, they also made a turn to the right. The crew discussed their options for a diversion. They reported that given the LAND ASAP was amber, not red, they would divert (return) to Perth, as they had briefed for shortly before entering the EDTO region. Regarding other diversion options, the flight crew reported that Learmonth Airport was not considered as it was not an EDTO suitable airport and it did not have any rescue and firefighting services.
At 08:35, ATC advised the flight crew that Geraldton Airport was 172 NM south-east of their position and provided the current weather conditions and runway length. The flight crew discussed the option. There was no information on Geraldton in the aircraft database and they determined that the runway at Geraldton was too short for their current weight, so decided that they would continue to Perth.
The flight crew described the vibrations as initially being severe, but they lessened after the engine was shut down. As the aircraft descended, however, the flight crew noted that the vibrations increased. In an attempt to reduce the vibration, the flight crew varied the aircraft’s speed and altitude. The vibrations, however, remained, and with about the same intensity. The flight crew reported that, while the instruments were shaking as a result of the vibration, the flight instruments and the ECAM could still be read.
About 30 minutes after the left engine malfunctioned, a cabin crew member informed the flight crew that there was black smoke coming from that engine. In response to that observation, at 08:43 the flight crew discharged one of the left engine’s two fire extinguisher bottles. There were no further reports of smoke from that engine.
The aircraft landed at Perth at 09:57. A post-flight inspection revealed that approximately three quarters of one fan blade aerofoil was missing on the left engine. No damage to the airframe was identified.
Contributing factors
• A fan blade in the left engine failed due to fatigue cracking, which had initiated at the corner of a membrane to panel bond, leading to the engine failure, shutdown and diversion.
• The Trent 700 blade manufacturing process produced a variation in internal membrane-to-panel acute corner geometry that, in combination with the inherent high level of blade panel stress, could lead to increased localised stresses in those corner areas and the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracking. [Safety issue]
• The scheduled inspections recommended by Rolls-Royce to detect cracking in Trent 700 fan blades, were insufficient to detect early onset fatigue cracks in the membrane to panel bond before those cracks could progress to failure. [Safety issue]
Other findings
• Following a fan blade failure on the left engine, the flight crew returned to Perth as it was the nearest suitable aerodrome according to the operator’s procedures.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.9news.com.au/National/2017/06/25/12/32/Pilot-finds-plane-fault-returns-to-Perth
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/d7237#dda2d15
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-25/airasia-flight-forced-to-turn-back-to-perth-technical-issue/8649990
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2017/aair/ao-2017-066/
Media:
TONIGHT: A Malaysian-bound flight makes an emergency landing in Perth. Full details in #9NewsAt6. pic.twitter.com/dlOBoLWb5W
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 25, 2017
JUST IN: @AirAsia has released a statement regarding the emergency landing of Kuala Lumpur-bound flight #D7237 from Perth. #9News pic.twitter.com/uToZmNnLbN
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 25, 2017
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jun-2017 06:54 | harro | Added |
| 25-Jun-2017 18:14 | ruthryruth | Updated [Embed code] |
| 25-Jun-2017 20:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Country, Embed code] |
| 26-Jun-2017 14:17 | g8rpi | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2017 14:19 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2017 14:20 | harro | Updated [Embed code] |
| 24-Aug-2017 17:37 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 12-Jul-2020 10:53 | harro | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Damage, Accident report, ] |
| 12-Jul-2020 10:53 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 12-Jul-2020 14:41 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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