(Reuters) – An investigation by Hong Kong’s aviation accident investigation agency has revealed that the engine of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 failed in flight due to a ruptured fuel hose that also showed signs of fire, the agency said in a report on Thursday.
Hong Kong’s Air Accidents Investigation Authority (AAIA) found a ruptured fuel hose on the second engine of the A350 aircraft operated by Cathay Pacific, and five additional secondary fuel hoses also showed signs of wear.
The investigation confirms an earlier Reuters report that cited sources as saying initial checks revealed a hose between a manifold and a fuel injection nozzle was punctured.
“This serious incident illustrates the potential for fuel leakage through the ruptured secondary fuel manifold hose, which could lead to engine fires,” the report said.
A “serious incident” is an aviation investigation term that indicates a high probability of an accident occurring.
“If not detected and addressed promptly, this condition, along with other failures, could lead to a more serious engine fire, potentially causing significant damage to the aircraft,” the AAIA said in the report.
The A350-1000 and XWB-97 engines, made by Rolls-Royce (OTC:), have been under scrutiny since Cathay passenger flight CX383 bound for Zurich was forced to return to Hong Kong after receiving an engine fire warning shortly after takeoff on September 2.
Cathay Pacific began inspecting all of its Airbus A350 aircraft after the incident. It was the first component of its kind to suffer such a failure on an A350 aircraft worldwide, Cathay said at the time.
Earlier this month, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also ordered inspections of the engines of Airbus A350-1000 aircraft as a measure to prevent similar events after consulting regulators and accident investigators in Hong Kong, as well as Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
The AAIA, in its report, recommended that EASA request Rolls-Royce to continue to provide airworthiness information, including inspection requirements for the secondary fuel manifold hoses on its engines to ensure their serviceability.
Cathay did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation’s findings.