EASA Orders Urgent Inspections of Rolls Royce Trent XWB97 Engines
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive mandating immediate inspections of all Rolls Royce Trent XWB97 engines installed on Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. This urgent action follows an inflight engine fire on a Cathay Pacific A350-1000 on September 2, 2024, during a flight from Hong Kong to Zurich. The crew managed to extinguish the fire and safely returned the aircraft to Hong Kong for an emergency landing.
Initial investigations, led by Cathay Pacific engineers and the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority, identified the cause of the fire as a damaged fuel manifold main fuel hose. The same component is found on all Rolls Royce Trent XWB97 engines used in A350-1000s, prompting EASA to issue a fleet-wide directive requiring thorough inspections by airline operators.
Subsequent checks on other aircraft in Cathay Pacific’s fleet revealed similar issues with the fuel manifold hoses. As a result, the airline grounded its A350-1000s for inspections. Some of the aircraft have since returned to service following successful checks, while others remain grounded, awaiting replacement hoses.
EASA’s directive mandates that all Rolls Royce Trent XWB97 engines undergo a complete inspection within 30 days, with a deadline set for October 9, 2024. However, engines meeting specific criteria must be inspected sooner:
Engines with over 18,500 flight hours or 2,300 flight cycles and two or more significant maintenance checks must be inspected within three days, by September 12, 2024.
Engines outside these criteria but with at least one significant maintenance check must be inspected within seven days, by September 16, 2024.
The investigation into the faulty fuel manifold main hose is ongoing, and further findings will be published once the review is complete. It has been revealed that the faulty hoses are manufactured by Parker Aerospace, a company likely to face increased scrutiny as the investigation continues.
Notably, this airworthiness directive is limited to the Rolls Royce Trent XWB97 engines used on the Airbus A350-1000 variant. The Trent XWB84 engines, which power the shorter Airbus A350-900, are unaffected by this directive.
Cathay Pacific, which operates 18 A350-1000s and 30 A350-900s, expects its grounded aircraft to return to service by September 7, 2024, after completing mandatory inspections and hose replacements.
Globally, there are currently 87 Airbus A350-1000s in service with eight airlines. Qatar Airways operates the largest fleet, with 24 aircraft, followed by British Airways and Cathay Pacific with 18 each. Virgin Atlantic has 12, while Japan Airlines and Etihad Airways each operate five. French carriers Air Caraibes and French Bee operate three and two aircraft, respectively.
As the investigation into the incident continues, EASA is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of the A350-1000 fleet and to prevent further occurrences of similar issues.
Related news: https://airguide.info/?s=Rolls Royce+Trent
Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, Rolls Royce, EASA