Russian investigators are probing a serious incident in which a Tupolev Tu-204 was evacuated after an engine fire on take-off.
The Red Wings aircraft had been operating a service from Ufa to Sochi at about 05:00 on 22 August.
As the aircraft accelerated along runway 14R its left-hand Aviadvigatel PS-90A engine surged and air traffic controllers warned the crew of a fire in the powerplant.
Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia says that, according to the carrier, the fire alarm and automatic extinguishing systems did not function.
The crew activated firefighting systems manually and returned to Ufa to land.
Emergency slides were deployed on the right-hand side of the Tu-204 as the aircraft came to a halt.
“There were no casualties. The aircraft has been removed from the runway and the airport is operating normally,” says Rosaviatsia.
Red Wings says the aircraft (RA-64050) suffered a “technical malfunction” in the left engine. The jet was transporting 215 passengers and seven crew members, it states.
Flight Fleets Analyzer lists the aircraft as having been delivered to the carrier new in 2009.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
