Communiqués

TSB #A 06/04

(Gatineau, Quebec, December 20, 2004) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final report into an emergency landing of a Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus 340-300 that occurred on October 20, 2002, at the Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia.

The aircraft departed the Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario, just before midnight eastern standard time, on a scheduled flight to Hong Kong, China, with a planned refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. There were 249 passengers and 13 crew on board. One hour and nine minutes into the flight, while cruising at 35 000 feet, the pilots observed the number one engine shut down spontaneously. The pilots continued flight on three engines and diverted to Vancouver International Airport. The Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft landed at Vancouver International Airport at 1:05 in the morning, Pacific standard time, without further incident.

The TSB investigation identified two safety deficiencies requiring action. They pertain to documentation in engine maintenance manuals and improvements to software programs governing engine electronic control units (ECUs). To address these deficiencies the Board recommends that:

• The Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile and the Federal Aviation Administration issue airworthiness directives to require the implementation of all CFM56-5 series jet engine service bulletins whose purpose is to incorporate software updates designed to ensure that, in the event of a permanent magnet alternator failure, the electronic control unit will revert to aircraft power.
  

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and

• The Department of Transport ensure the continued airworthiness of Canadian-registered aircraft fitted with the CFM56-5 series engine by developing an appropriate safety assurance strategy to make certain that, in the event of a permanent magnet alternator failure, the electronic control unit will revert to aircraft power.
  

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The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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The final report A02P0261 is also available on this Web site.