Cathay Airbus fault could have caused major damage

An engine fire on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 earlier this month was the result of a fuel leak and could have caused extensive damage to the plane, according to investigators. Hong Kong’s flagship airline grounded planes after being forced to turn a flight around a couple of weeks ago because of an "engine component failure". The Trent XWB-97 engine was made by British engineering giant Rolls-Royce. A preliminary report by Hong Kong's Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the incident was caused by a broken fuel hose - one of a number that had been damaged. Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific both said they were continuing to support the investigation. The incident occurred shortly after the plane had taken off from Hong Kong en route to Zurich in early September. The pilots received a fire warning in the cockpit, shut down the engine and deployed fire extinguishers. The aircraft, which was carrying 348 passengers and crew, landed safely back in Hong Kong. But the incident raised concerns over the safety of the engines used across Cathay Pacific's A350 fleet, particularly after checks revealed issues on another 15 aircraft. The preliminary report found that the protective surround of a fuel hose had ruptured, leaving "a discernible hole in the hose". There were signs of a fire in parts of the engine, including soot and burn marks. Further checks revealed another five fuel hoses in the same engine were also defective. If not promptly detected and addressed, the report said, this situation could have escalated "into a more serious engine fire, potentially causing extensive damage to the aircraft." To address the problem, the AAIA recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) require Rolls-Royce to develop new inspection requirements for the relevant engines.<br/>