HONG KONG – Cathay Pacific has conceded that an engine on the Airbus A330-300 which made an emergency landing in Hong Kong on Tuesday had experienced a power fluctuation shortly after takeoff from Surabaya in Indonesia.
However, the airline’s manager of maintenance support Dennis Hui said the right engine power fluctuation when the plane had reached cruising altitude was not considered at the time to be a safety concern as an Airbus can fly with just one engine.
“The pilots notified ground control and decided to continue the flight as the other engine parameter was normal,” he said.
But about 20 minutes out of Hong Kong there was a problem with the left engine and the pilot requested an emergency landing, he said.
Hui stressed that while the two engines experienced power fluctuations, at no point did they shut down.
Hui said there had been no similar problems with the Airbus A330-300 before, and consequently a grounding of the planes was not necessary.
He said the plane had been refueled in Surabaya and the investigation into the incident will include the possibility of a fuel problem.
He said the plane was landing with the right engine idling and the left engine at 70 percent of its maximum power. A normal landing should be with 50 percent power in both engines and at a speed of 135 knots.
As the emergency landing was at around 230 knots, the pilots had to brake hard and this resulted in the tyres deflating and catching fire.
He said the smoke from the fire prompted the pilots to evacuate all passengers by emergency chutes.
The airline’s corporate affairs director Quince Chong said the two Australian pilots had 12 years of experience and gave priority to passengers’ safety when deciding on the evacuation of the plane.
“The crew used less than two minutes to evacuate 309 passengers,” she said. “We consider that a successful evacuation.”
Eight passengers required hospital treatment.
Cathay Pacific is offering to refund all passengers’ tickets and offer them a free regional flight.
Source: The Standard Hong Kong
