Russian investigators have determined that a Globus Boeing 737-800 was evacuated at Moscow after a high-speed aborted take-off, after a smoke alert traced to improper engine cleaning.
The aircraft – a 14-year old airframe, registered VP-BDF – had been departing Moscow Domodedovo for Novosibirsk on 27 March.
Russia's federal air transport authority Rosaviatsia states that it had accelerated to 100kt when the crew aborted the take-off roll, stopping the jet on the runway, and ordered the evacuation.
The decision had been triggered by the presence of smoke in the passenger cabin and cockpit.
Rosaviatsia says an "unpleasant odour" had originally been perceived by the crew as anti-icing liquid in the air-conditioning system.
All four forward and rear doors, as well as the overwing exits, were used for the evacuation, with slides being deployed.
Eighteen passengers were treated for injuries at the Domodedovo airport medical centre. The aircraft had been transporting 129 passengers and six crew members.
Inquiries determined that the aircraft had undergone an engine wash on its CFM International CFM56 powerplants the previous evening.
But the engine wash procedure, conducted by S7 Engineering, was not fully completed. Rosaviatsia says the procedure for purging the air-conditioning system was conducted at low power, whereas the technical manual requires thrust of 60-80% of N1.
As a result, it adds, residual liquid in the air intakes evaporated during the departure and entered the aircraft cabin.
Rosaviatsia also found that the air traffic control agency incorrectly identified the location of the aircraft to emergency personnel which, it says, "led to a delay" in their arrival.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
