The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has completed preliminary analysis of a Qantas Airways Rolls-Royce RB211 engine that experienced an uncontained failure in mid-flight.
It is shipping the engine to a facility in Hong Kong for a "detailed disassembly and examination, under the supervision of ATSB investigators", says the bureau.
On 30 August, engine number four of the Rolls-Royce RB211 powered Boeing 747-400 failed shortly after the aircraft took off from San Francisco airport for Sydney.
The failure was mechanical in nature and uncontained, and ejected material punctured a hole in the outboard engine and damaged the aircraft's leading edge flaps. The aircraft returned to San Francisco after the flight crew dumped fuel. No one was injured in the incident.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, says the ATSB. This includes detailed analysis of recorded flight data, aircraft maintenance documentation and interviews with crew members and passengers, says the bureau.
The aircraft, registration VH-OJP, was built in 1992, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
