Report finds a faulty component could have caused 'extensive damage' to Cathay Pacific jet

Audio By Carbonatix

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s air safety authority said Thursday that a defect in an engine component of a Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350 that caused a fire, forcing a Zurich-bound flight to return to Hong Kong, could have caused “extensive damage” to the aircraft.

The report on the Sept. 2 incident by Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority said the steel braided sheath of a fuel hose connecting to a fuel spray nozzle was ruptured. Had the faulty component not been promptly detected and repaired, it could have escalated into a more serious engine fire.

A preliminary investigation found soot on a section of the aircraft's core engine, indicating signs of a fire.

Five other fuel hoses in the Cathay jet also were found to have either “frayed metal braids or collapsed structures,” the report said.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement that it “acknowledged” the report.

“Following the incident, Cathay Pacific immediately contacted the aircraft and engine manufacturers as well as the regulator,” the statement read. “As a precautionary measure, it proactively initiated a fleet-wide inspection of its Airbus A350 aircraft that cleared the aircraft for operation.”

The engine fire aboard the Cathay plane caused cancellations of 70 flights and prompted inspections of the carrier's fleet of 48 Airbus A350 jets. Other airlines, such as Japan Airlines, conducted inspections on similar models in their fleets following the incident.

The report released Thursday recommended that Rolls-Royce, which makes the Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97 engines that power Airbus’ A350 jets, provide information including the inspection requirements of the affected components “to ensure their serviceability.”

After the incident, the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a directive requiring a one-time fleet inspection for some A350s after receiving safety recommendations from Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority.