A Jan. 20, 2007 incident over the English Channel resulted in the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) recommending the FAA mandate operators adhere to a service bulletin Honeywell issued subsequently in late 2007. Falcon 900B G-HMEV had departed Farnborough en route to Tel Aviv. When the aircraft reached FL130 over the English Channel, there was a loud noise from the rear of the aircraft. Shortly afterward the engine fire aural warning sounded and the number-three engine fire warning light and the ITT warning light illuminated. Declaring an emergency, the crew carried out the engine fire procedure and after the first extinguisher shot the warning ceased. Ten minutes later, the crew landed the airplane at London Gatwick, the nearest airport with full emergency services.
The AAIB investigation found that the low-pressure turbine assembly on the TFE731-5BR-1C turbofan had suffered a major break-up, with debris penetrating the engine casings and cowlings, while causing light damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The fire warning that was recorded soon after the break-up was triggered by hot engine gases escaping onto the firewire element through a gap caused by the break-up. A substantial number of the failed parts were lost overboard into the sea. The remaining components indicated that fracture of a low-pressure turbine blade had led to further internal damage and there was indication of a casting defect in one of the Stage 2 blades. This probably initiated the failure.
More In Accidents
