Fed: Electrical fault triggered plane fire: report

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2003
Fed: Electrical fault triggered plane fire: report

CANBERRA, Dec 18 AAP - An electrical fault on board a British Airways plane was to
blame for a fire that triggered a full-scale emergency landing at Sydney airport, an inquiry
has found.

The pilot of the Boeing 747 issued a mayday call about 10 minutes into the scheduled
flight from Sydney to Singapore on August 10 last year and turned back for an emergency
landing at Kingsford Smith Airport.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today said the fire on board was a result
of fan blades failing and molten material from a fan case dripping onto insulation on
the aircraft.

The fan may have continued to operate for a short while, providing an airflow into
the confined area and fuelling the fire.

Nobody on board the plane was injured.

The ATSB said at the time of the incident, flight crew noticed a mist and the smell
of smoke in the passenger cabin.

An examination of the plane revealed burned insulation material, discolouration of
the aircraft skin and burned or broken electrical wires.

Maintenance records for the affected fan showed that it had been removed from service
and overhauled because of electric failure before it was fitted to the affected plane.

There was also evidence of wear on parts of the fan, the ATSB said.

The aircraft had 249 passengers and 20 flight crew aboard at the time of the incident.

AAP sal/sb/cbs/jlw

KEYWORD: PLANE

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