Operators of Airbus A350-1000s have been instructed to conduct inspection of fuel manifold main fuel hoses in the type’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 powerplants, following a fire incident on a Cathay Pacific aircraft.
Cathay examined several A350s after the 2 September occurrence – which resulted in a Zurich-bound aircraft returning to Hong Kong – and found related issues on other aircraft.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency says damage to a fuel manifold flexible tube led to a “controlled, temporary engine fire” on the twinjet, as well as heat damage to the C-ducts of the thrust reverser.
EASA says the fire was “promptly detected and extinguished”, and the crew shut down the engine.
Investigations into the root cause of the fire are still continuing. But EASA has ordered a one-time inspection of the fuel manifold hoses, with Rolls-Royce issuing a 5 September service bulletin for carrying out the examination.
EASA’s emergency directive covers all Trent XWB-97s except for 34 specifically-identified engines.
“This action is a precautionary measure, based on the information received from the initial investigation of the recent Cathay Pacific serious incident and on the airline’s findings in its own subsequent inspections,” says executive director Florian Guillermet.
EASA’s directive requires older engines – those with 18,500h or 2,300 cycles, and which have undergone at least two shop visits – to be inspected within three days.
Younger engines have an inspection timeframe ranging from seven to 30 days.
EASA says the directive is an interim measure and the regulator could order further actions depending on the investigation results.
