Engine problem on AirAsia's Perth flight could have been ‘catastrophic’: Pilot

KUALA LUMPUR — The “technical issue” on an AirAsia X plane flying from Perth to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (June 25) could have resulted in tragedy, said a former Airbus check and training captain.

According to Australian news website Perth Now, the veteran pilot said the plane could have lost the entire faulty engine, which would have ripped off its fuel lines.

The Airbus A330 in question is believed to have lost a turbine blade on one its engines, which resulted in an imbalance that caused the plane to rattle “like a washing machine”.

“When an engine has severe vibrations, it must be shut down immediately as the damage that can be inflicted is immense,” the former captain was quoted as saying.

“The engine can detach from the wing, which could be catastrophic. Fuel lines (could be) ripped open and electrics severely damaged or degraded,” he added, stressing that the incident should have been treated like an “engine fire”.

Flight D7237 from Perth to Kuala Lumpur diverted back to Perth after “technical issues” with the engine causing severe vibrations in the flight.

The incident met with added controversy as the pilot reportedly asked the 359 passengers on board to pray for their safety.

Passenger Sophie Nicolas, was quoted as saying that the situation was “really bad” based on the cabin crew’s reaction.

“(The flight captain) said ‘I hope you all say a prayer. I will be saying a prayer too and let’s hope we all get back home safely’.”

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has classified the incident as serious.

The ATSB will investigate why the plane continued vibrating after the problem was detected and why the pilot did not opt to land at a nearer airport. The pilots of the Airbus A330 opted not to divert to Learmonth, which was 25 minutes away when the incident occurred, and instead flew back to Perth that was 90 minutes away.

In a statement, the ATSB said the investigation report will be released in several months. Malaysia's Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said that the probe will involve the manufacturers of the aircraft’s engine (Rolls Royce), adding that there will be a thorough investigation not only of AirAsia planes, but other airlines which use the same engines as those on Flight D7237.

Mr Aziz added that a preliminary report submitted by AirAsia to the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) showed that the airline had followed all mandatory maintenance and procedures required of the engine.

He said that AirAsia has been instructed to give its full cooperation to the ATSB in its investigation.

DCA director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the airline will be providing a full status report after the ATSB wraps up its investigation and the airline has fully addressed the issue.

The engine must also be replaced before the aircraft returns to Malaysia, once the ATSB has wrapped up investigations.

AirAsia said on Monday that it was also investigating the incident together with Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engines used on the A330.

“Our engineers are taking precautionary steps to check the aircraft. Guests on board the flight (were) transferred to the next available flight or the recovery flight D7689, which safely departed Perth at 23:40 hours on the same day.

“The safety of our guests is our utmost priority,” AirAsia added. AGENCIES