"High risk" of repeat B777 fault
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Experts have warned there is a “high probability” that a fault which caused a British Airways (BA) jet to crash land at Heathrow could affect other Boeing 777s, the BBC reported.
US air accident investigators called for an engine component to be redesigned after a Delta Air Lines plane reportedly encountered a similar problem. Engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, reportedly said the new part should be ready later this year.
The BA B777, with 152 people on board landed short of the runway at Heathrow in January 2008 following a build-up of ice in the engine. On Thursday, a second report from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that, during the flight from Beijing, ice in the fuel pipes may have caused a blockage.
Ten months later, it is understood that a Delta B777 was affected by a similar problem on a flight in the US. The problem is known in the industry as an engine rollback or sudden power loss.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman, Mark Rosenker, has called for a redesign of the fuel/oil heat exchanger component.
“With two of these rollback events occurring within a year, we believe that there is a high probability of something happening again,” Rosenker was reported saying.
There are currently 220 Boeing 777s with Rolls-Royce engines in operation around the world, according to the BBC report.
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