Probe into fatal Swiss A220 cabin-smoke event finds damage to engine gear system

Examination of a Swiss Airbus A220-300 engine following a fatal smoke and diversion event over Austria has revealed damage to the fan drive gear system as well as bearings. But investigators probing the occurrence, on 23 December last year, have yet to draw specific conclusions over the circumstanes and the reasons why one of the three cabin crew succumbed after being hospitalised. Pilots of the aircraft, bound for Zurich from Bucharest on 23 December last year, were alerted to problems with the left-hand Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine during cruise at 40,000ft. Smoke entered the passenger cabin and cockpit. Both pilots donned oxygen masks while the cabin crew put on smoke hoods. The crew shut down the engine and diverted to Graz, where the aircraft landed and was subsequently evacuated. Several of the 74 passengers and all the crew members were taken to hospital for medical treatment. One of the cabin crew members succumbed to their condition six days later, on 30 December. The affected engine was initially delivered as a spare powerplant to the carrier, before being installed on the aircraft (HB-JCD) in July 2024, less than six months before the occurrence. Servicing records confirm that all scheduled maintenance was performed in accordance with applicable procedures and timelines, says Austrian federal investigation authority SUB-Zivilluftfahrt, and work from all mandatory airworthiness directives had been completed. Following a borescope inspection by the engine manufacturer and Swiss technical personnel, the powerplant was transferred from Graz to the USA for analysis.<br/>