Feds: Engine crack caused 2015 BA incident

Federal investigators say a fatigue crack in the left engine compressor on a BA jet was to blame for an aborted takeoff and fire at a Las Vegas airport in 2015. One flight attendant was seriously injured in the Sept. 8, 2015, incident at McCarran International Airport. All 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board the Boeing 777-236ER jet, which was bound for London, were able to evacuate. The plane was substantially damaged by fire. In a report released Wednesday, the NTSB said it couldn't determine the cause of the crack in its investigation. It said the crack in one of the compressor's disks likely was visible during two separate maintenance procedures in 2008 and 2014, but went undetected because inspecting the disks wasn't required. The engine's maker, GE, has since established procedures designed to catch cracks in the disk web. The NTSB said the captain aborted the takeoff just two seconds after the left engine failed and brought the plane to a halt within 13 seconds. But it also blamed the captain for the chaotic evacuation that followed. After a fire alarm sounded, the captain called for an engine fire checklist, but it took him 22 seconds to follow the checklist's order to close a valve that shuts off fuel to the engine. During that time, Boeing estimated that 97 gallons of fuel spilled on the runway, helping to feed the fire. The report also found that the captain called for an evacuation before completing an evacuation checklist. Story has more details.<br/>