Report finds faulty component may have caused ‘significant damage’ to Cathay Pacific jet

HONG KONG — Hong Kong's aviation safety authority said Thursday that a defect in an engine component on a Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350 that caused a fire and forced a flight from Zurich to return to Hong Kong may have caused “significant damage” to the aircraft.

The Hong Kong Aircraft Accident Investigation Board's report on the September 2 incident states that the steel braided sheath of a fuel hose connected to a fuel spray nozzle had ruptured. Had the defective component not been discovered and repaired promptly, an even more serious engine fire could have occurred.

A preliminary investigation found soot on a section of the aircraft's main engine, indicating signs of fire.

Five other fuel hoses on the Cathay jet were also found to have either “frayed metal braids or collapsed structures,” the report said.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement that it had “taken note” of the report.

“Following the incident, Cathay Pacific immediately contacted the aircraft and engine manufacturers and the regulator,” the statement said. “As a precautionary measure, the airline proactively initiated a fleet inspection of its Airbus A350 aircraft, which cleared the aircraft for operation.”

The engine fire on board the Cathay plane led to the cancellation of 70 flights and required inspections of the airline's 48 Airbus A350 fleet. Other airlines, such as Japan Airlines, conducted inspections on similar models in their fleet following the incident.

The report published on Thursday recommended that Rolls-Royce, manufacturer of the XWB-84 and XWB-97 Trent engines for the Airbus A350, provide, among other things, information on the testing requirements of the components concerned “to ensure their functionality”.