US NTSB senior investigator Bill English is meeting with Boeing regarding an in-flight power rollback on the right-hand Rolls-Royce Trent 895 engine powering a Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-200ER during a 26 November flight.
English earlier this year took part in the UK air accident investigation branch's analysis of a Trent-powered British Airways 777-200ER landing accident at London Heathrow International Airport. The gliding touchdown 300m short of the runway destroyed the aircraft but caused no fatalities among the 136 passengers and 16 crew. An NTSB spokesman says English is "looking into the incident" with an eye on seeing if there are similarities with the BA accident.
Investigators in that case have identified water icing as the likely cause of the fuel restriction and dual-engine rollback in that accident, though the final report is not yet complete.
FAA in September issued an airworthiness directive calling on operators of 777-200 and -300 aircraft equipped with Trent engines to revise flight manuals to include in-flight procedures for pilots to follow during certain cold-weather conditions and for operations on the ground.
In the latest incident, the NTSB says Delta Flight 18, enroute from Shanghai to Atlanta at 39,000ft, experienced an "uncommanded rollback" on the right hand Rolls-Royce Trent 895 engine.
"Initial data indicates that following the rollback, the crew descended to FL310 (approximately 31,000ft) and executed applicable flight manual procedures," according to the agency's preliminary report. "The engine recovered and responded normally thereafter," investigators state, adding, "The flight continued to Atlanta where it landed without further incident."
English and his team are analyzing the aircraft's flight data recorder "and other applicable data and components" retrieved from the aircraft, according to the report.
A Delta spokesman says the airline "will partner closely with (the NTSB) and comply with any recommended actions as soon as possible to ensure that there is no operational impact to our customers or communities."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
