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The BA plane that crashed at Heathrow in January was probably brought down by ice in its fuel system, an accident report says.

The pilots of the Boeing 777 managed to land so that the 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped without serious injury.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch believes the flow of fuel dropped causing the engines to lose power less than a minute before touchdown.
But investigators say they still do not know how the ice could have formed.
Water is naturally present in aviation fuel and the investigators believe there may have been as much as five litres within this aircraft's fuel load.But the report says levels of water found in fuel recovered after the 17 January crash were very low for a Boeing 777.

They dismissed the suggestion that the fuel itself froze or became "waxy" as icing occurred.
The report says the plane flew through unusually cold air over Siberia while en route from Beijing to Heathrow.
The fuel temperature fell to -34C (-29F). But jet fuel should not freeze until it is at less than -57C (-70F), and the report says the temperatures involved were not "unique".
The investigation into the crash of flight BA38 continues with testing at Rolls-Royce in Derby, and Seattle in the US, the home of Boeing.
Following Thursday's report, a spokesman for the US Federal Aviation Administration said it would be issuing an air-worthiness directive to US carriers operating Boeing 777 aircraft.
This was likely to be about "changes in procedures for pilots to follow in certain cold weather conditions" as well as "changes in certain fuel procedures on the ground", he said.
While it would not be an emergency directive, it was likely to be issued within 24 hours and would have immediate effect.
Fuel and water
Water in aviation fuel can be dissolved at the molecular level, or simply float as free water, suspended in the fuel. As the fuel gets colder tiny droplets can form and freeze.
The mystery facing investigators is why this might have happened on an apparently fully functioning aircraft.
Water in the fuel is controlled by draining it regularly out of the fuel tanks - and on the Boeing 777 a so-called "scavenge system" pumps it out.
Ice can form when the fuel temperature drops to around -1C (30.2F) to -3C (26.6F) Generally the ice crystals simply float and drift in the fuel without causing harm.
Only when the temperature falls further does the ice stick together.
Within the fuel system a heat exchanger is used to increase the fuel temperature, but it is possible the blockage might have occurred before this point.
The investigation team have built a test rig and introduced pre-prepared ice into the fuel system to see if it would clog up.
But the amounts they had to put in to make this happen were far greater than is normal.
Despite that, the scenarios being considered by the AAIB are based on the idea that the ice formed gradually in the system and was released as the plane prepared for landing.

But the report makes three safety recommendations:

* that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency introduce interim measures to reduce the risk of ice forming on the Boeing 777 powered by Trent 800 engines
* the agencies should consider the implications for other aircraft types
* review the requirements for new engines
This accident remains an enormous challenge for the investigation team. But their report stresses the rarity of this crash.
Unique' situation
It said: "The accident flight was unique in that this has been the only recorded case of a restricted fuel flow affecting the engine performance to the extent of causing HP pump cavitation" - the damage found within the pumps that alerted the investigators to the loss of fuel pressure.

The report goes on: "This is the first such event in 6.5 million flight hours and places the probability of the failure as being 'remote'."

In response to the recommendations, the European Aviation Safety Agency said it had agreed with the FAA to "interim measures" for "mandatory aircraft level action", but gave no further details.

It also said it would examine the other recommendations.
Long-haul flight
An FAA spokesman said it was still studying the report but felt the initial review indicated that the issue appeared to affect only Boeing aircraft with Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
He understood that Boeing was carrying out tests to establish whether other aircraft with other engine combinations could similarly be affected.
He emphasised that shorter-haul aircraft such as Boeing 737s would not be part of the directive as icing was a problem that affected only long-haul journeys.
Flight BA 38 from Beijing was extensively damaged when it touched down on 17 January, landing short of the runway but staying largely intact.
One person suffered a broken leg and others received minor injuries during the emergency evacuation.

Zitat

The crew of the BA 38 have been awarded the airline's highest accolade, the BA Safety Medal, for their remarkable skill and courage.
The three flight crew and 13 cabin crew have been praised for their professionalism in the handling of the incident in January when their Boeing 777 aircraft landed short of the runway at Heathrow.
The BA Safety Medal has been awarded only three times before and recognises exceptional achievement by British Airways staff.
British Airways' chief executive, Willie Walsh said: "The crew demonstrated incredible professionalism, first in landing the aircraft safely and then evacuating all the passengers with only a few minor injuries sustained. The whole of British Airways is extremely proud of them."
Captain Peter Burkill said: "It is a great privilege for us to receive the BA Safety Medal. We are extremely honoured to be added to the list of the very few people who have received this award.
"The training we undergo at British Airways is second to none. During the events of the 17 January these skills kicked in, as we did everything we could to ensure the safety of our passengers."

Zitat

NTSB ermittelt nach Aussetzer an Trent 800-Triebwerk
NEW YORK - Die amerikanische Flugsicherheitsbehörde NTSB hat nach einem Triebwerksaussetzer an einer Boeing 777-200ER (Reg.: N862DA) der Delta Air Lines am 26. November Ermittlungen aufgenommen. Auf Flug 18 von Shanghai nach Atlanta war das rechte Rolls-Royce Trent 895 Triebwerk ausgefallen. Die Flugzeugführer folgten den Anweisungen des Handbuchs, sanken auf FL310 und konnten das Triebwerk neu starten. Der Flug wurde ohne weiteren Zwischenfall fortgesetzt.....

Zitat

SEATTLE - Der US Flugzeugbauer Boeing hat ein Sicherheitsbulletin an alle Betreiber von Flugzeugen der 777-Serie herausgegeben, deren Maschinen mit Trent-Triebwerksets des Herstellers Rolls-Royce ausgestattet sind. Das Papier enthält Procedures für Flüge unter sehr kalten Umweltbedingungen. Am 17. Januar 2008 war eine Boeing 777-200ER der British Airways im Landeanflug auf London Heathrow verunglückt.

Beide Trent 800-Triebwerke des Flugzeugs hatten nahezu zeitgleich ausgesetzt. Die zuständigen Ermittler der britischen Behörde für Flugunfalluntersuchungen AAIB gehen in einem aktuellen Zwischenbericht vom Januar davon aus, dass ein Fehler am Fuel/Oil Heat Exchanger (FOHE) zur Eisbildung im Treibstoff führte. Hierdurch sei die Treibstoffzufuhr in die Triebwerke unterbrochen worden. Der FOHE kühlt Schmierstoffe ab und erwärmt zugleich den Treibstoff.

Wird dieser Ansatz im Abschlussbericht bestätigt, erwarten Beobachter, dass die internationalen Flugsicherheitsbehörden technische Änderungen an den Treibstoffsystemen der Trent 800-Triebwerksserie vorschreiben werden. Boeing hat die "All Operators Notice" nicht veröffentlicht. Dem Luftfahrtmagazin "Flight International" liegt jedoch eine Kopie des Bulletins vor.

Weiterer Vorfall im November

Boeing bringt in dem Papier den Vorfall von Heathrow mit einem Zwischenfall einer 777-200ER der Delta Air Lines vom 26. November 2008 in Zusammenhang. Die Maschine befand sich auf einem Flug von Shanghai nach Atlanta, als in 39.000 Fuss Höhe im Luftraum des US Bundesstaats Montana das rechte Trent-Triebwerk aussetzte.

Die Flugzeugführer folgten den Anweisungen des Handbuchs, sanken auf FL310 und konnten das Triebwerk neu starten. Der Flug wurde ohne weiteren Zwischenfall fortgesetzt.

Seattle empfielt Flugzeugführern an Bord von mit Trent-Triebwerken ausgestatteten Maschinen der 777-Serie jetzt, die Maschinen hochzufahren, sobald die Treibstofftemperatur -10 Grad Celsius unterschreitet. Hierdurch könne einer Vereisung des im Treibstoff gebundenen Wassers entgegengewirkt werden.

Zuvor hatte die amerikanische Luftfahrtaufsicht FAA in Abstimmung mit Boeing bereits angeordnet, dass die Triebwerke für zehn Sekunden auf maximaler Last gefahren werden müssen, wenn die Maschine nach drei Stunden auf derselben Flughöhe in den Sinkflug geht und die Treibstofftemperatur bei unter -10 Grad Celsius liegt. Boeing hat im aktuellen Bulletin diesen Wert auf eine zweistündige Flugzeit in gleicher Höhe herabgesetzt.

Zitat von »Flugzeugschrauber«

Ne wenn nur mit einer Wärmflasche. und 3 Promille im Blut

Viele Grüsse

Zitat von »Flugzeugschrauber«

Die Macht der Lobyisten, da fliegt ein Flieger mit einer ETOS Zulassung von 208 Minuten durch die Gegend, bei dem halt ab und an die Motoren ausgehen, weil der Sprit einfriert.
Erinnert mich sehr stark an das Buch "Airframe"

Mich bekommt jedenfalls in die "Kiste" keiner rein.

Zitat von »mischi«

Klingt jetzt a´bissl naiv,aber kann man dem Kerosin nicht Frostschutzmittel zufügen,so dass sich erst gar kein Eis bildet.
m.f.G. aus EDDT

Zitat

Jobseeker allowance for hero pilot
An airline pilot hailed a hero after helping to crash-land a stricken passenger jet at Heathrow airport is set to receive jobseeker's allowance.
Peter Burkill, who was praised with his co-pilot for saving the lives of 136 passengers aboard the Boeing 777, took voluntary redundancy from British Airways in the summer to spend time with his family.

The pilot, who lives in Worcester, is said by his wife Maria to be confident of finding work soon despite being rejected by Korean Air, which requires that applicants do not have an "accident or incident" on their CV.

Capt Burkill, 45, was widely commended for helping to bring the jet down safely after its engines failed on the approach to Heathrow in January last year.

His wife, who works for East Midlands Ambulance Service, told the Press Association the couple were frustrated at Korean Air's rules.

But Mrs Burkill added that her husband - who will receive jobseeker's allowance of £64-a-week - had been shortlisted by other airlines and was waiting for news of interviews.

The 35-year-old mother-of-three said: "He has applied to other companies, but they are not interviewing at the moment. We are not moaning and we are not worrying about it."

Mrs Burkill, who said her husband was considering making after-dinner speeches, went on: "I would like to think he will be flying, if he chooses to fly, in the next six months."

The emergency medical technician, a former British Airways stewardess, stressed that the couple did not want to appear to be "whingeing" about Korean Air's decision or their own finances

Zitat von »Balu der Bär«

Mal nebenbei, der CPT der B777 bezieht jetzt Arbeitslosenhilfe in Höhe von 64 Pfund und Korean hat seine Bewerbung abgelehnt, weil er schon einmal in nen Crash verwickelt war.......