Engine failure and debris puncturing part of wing forced Dublin-bound plane to turn back
A Dublin-bound passenger flight was forced to return to an airport in Canada after one of the aircraft’s engines failed and debris punctured the fuselage and part of the wing.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has issued a preliminary report into the August 26 incident near Vancouver, British Columbia.
Air Canada Rouge flight AC-1940 was operating a scheduled service from Vancouver to Dublin at the time. There were 257 passengers and a crew of 8 on board.
The Boeing 767-300 jet was climbing out of Vancouver when cabin crew heard a loud bang from the right-hand engine. The incident happened at an altitude of around 10,000 feet and about 17 nautical miles (31km) north of the airport.
The engine lost power and abnormal engine indications occurred. The flight crew declared an emergency and returned to Vancouver for a safe landing about 25 minutes after departure. The aircraft was met by airport crash crews on landing.
A subsequent inspection of the runway found debris. The runway had to be closed until all debris had been recovered. It was also found that debris from the engine had struck part of the wing and the aircraft fuselage.
The Canadian TSB has confirmed: "An initial visual inspection of the engine revealed extensive damage to the aft-most turbine blades. The inboard aileron and the fuselage just aft of the baggage door were punctured by debris exiting the engine exhaust duct."
The engine was sent to the manufacturer for teardown and inspection.
According the TSB report: “Root cause analysis is on-going.”
