HONG KONG- Today (August 31, 2024), a Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) flight bound for Hong Kong (HKG) experienced a critical engine failure during takeoff at Kaohsiung Airport (KHH) in Taiwan.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning, forcing the Airbus A330-300 to abort its departure.
Cathay Pacific A330 Aborts Takeoff
Eyewitness footage captured on social media shows flames and smoke erupting from the aircraft’s right engine moments after it began its takeoff roll. The plane veered right before the pilots corrected its course and brought it to a stop midway down the runway.
Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before the aircraft halted. The flight, carrying over 200 individuals, had been scheduled to depart shortly after 11 am local time.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 confirms that Cathay Pacific flight CX431 returned to the terminal following the aborted takeoff. Authorities have not reported any injuries among the passengers or crew.
The aircraft involved in the incident is Airbus A330-300 registered as B-LAQ. It is a 12-year-old aircraft powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines.
Cathay Pacific deployed a larger Boeing 777-300 to retrieve stranded passengers later that day. Some travelers were rerouted to flights operated by other airlines. The company provided meal vouchers to affected passengers during their wait.
Official Remarks
A Cathay spokesperson confirmed the aborted takeoff resulted from an “engine technical problem.” No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. The airline emphasized its commitment to safety and apologized for the inconvenience caused.
Warren Chim Wing-nin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ aircraft division, suggested a sudden engine power surge might have caused the incident. He explained that loud noises, flames, and fluctuating engine parameters typically indicate such an event.
Chim noted that the apparent holes in the aircraft’s engines were likely thrust reverser doors, which open during aborted takeoffs to assist in rapid deceleration. He emphasized that determining the exact cause would require analysis of the flight data recorder and thorough engine inspections.
The investigation process will involve visual checks of the engine’s front and rear, as well as a boroscopic examination of the core engine blades.
Chim stated that if metallic debris is found in the engine tail pipe or blade damage is detected, a full engine replacement may be necessary.
Similar Incidents
Well, engine fire is not a common incident but it’s also not that rare. There is no clear data available to determine how many engine fire-related incident occurs each year globally but we do hear and report a few every month.
One such occurred in April 2024, when a Southwest Airlines (WN) Boeing 737 amid engine fire was forced to abort takeoff and return to the gate at Lubbock, Texas, airport. The flight, which had 154 passengers and a crew of six onboard, was bound for Las Vegas
Similarly, in January, a JetBlue Airways (B6) flight aborted its takeoff at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) after a reported fire on board. All passengers, with a capacity of around 180, were evacuated from the plane to allow fire officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to address the flames.
The FAA later identified the problem on the Airbus 321 as an “engine problem,” but provided no further details.
Last year in June, Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 aircraft experienced an aborted takeoff incident at Hong Kong International Airport. Flight CX880, scheduled for Los Angeles, has to return to the gate due to a “technical issue” that prompted the crew to abort the takeoff.
According to the AAIA, the rejected take-off, during which the aircraft (registration B-KPQ, MSN36162) was traveling at 145 knots, was likely triggered by an airspeed indication discrepancy. Following this, one of the plane’s tires overheated, leading to a burst. 11 passengers sustained injuries while evacuating from the plane.
What are your thoughts on such incidents? Have you ever witnessed a rejected takeoff? Do let us know in the comment section below.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.
The post Cathay Pacific Flight with A330 Aborts Takeoff Amid Engine Fire appeared first on Aviation A2Z.