Air NZ seeks independent safety check

By SCOTT MacLEOD

Air New Zealand is hoping to quell public fears about its safety by having another aviation body check its engineering systems.

The "peer review" was announced after Sunday's scare when an engine on a Boeing 767-200 failed at 3000m after the aircraft took off from Brisbane on a flight to Auckland.

The airline said the incident, which forced the jet to make an emergency landing, appeared to be a "rare uncontained engine failure" which led to metal punching a hole in the engine casing in flight.

It was the third time in four months that Air New Zealand has lost parts from an aircraft in mid-air.

But the incident has also raised questions about the aircraft's General Electric engines.

Air safety regulators all over the world are reported to be keen to find out what caused the engine failure.

They are concerned that it happened without the usual warning signs, such as vibration or over-heating.

Air New Zealand's engineering services had a top reputation until this year's string of mishaps.

The airline's chief executive, Ralph Norris, said the safety scares were "random and unrelated".

A "comprehensive independent external review" would take place.

The airline is expected to name the reviewer late this week. It is unlikely to be another airline, but it could be a large organisation such as Boeing.

A spokeswoman said it was too early to say whether the resulting report would be made public.

Mr Norris said he was confident his airline's engineering systems were of a high standard.

Air New Zealand's operations and technical vice-president, Craig Sinclair, said the airline was audited by safety bodies in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

"Notwithstanding that, we have decided there may be something we are missing. We want to provide the confidence that we've got this right."

The aircraft in Sunday's incident flew perfectly the day before, said pilot Garth McGearty.

He told National Radio there was no indication of anything wrong when it flew from Sydney to Auckland.

Last night it was revealed the plane was late leaving Brisbane on Sunday because it had been delayed in Auckland with a maintenance problem.

Air New Zealand spokeswoman Shannon Huse said that during a routine test of a back-up generator used for emergency lighting, circuit breakers had been tripped.

Repairs led to the plane being 1 hour and 52 minutes late.

She said the generator had "absolutely nothing" to do with the engine failure.

Sunday's incident was reported to the NZ Civil Aviation Authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, General Electric and Boeing.

The Australian bureau is leading a team that includes a New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigator, Ian McClelland, and representatives from the United States National Transportation Safety Board.

Mr Sinclair said a piece of high-pressure turbine came loose, went back through the engine and punched through the rear engine casing. Shrapnel damaged the front of the wing.

Eight staff were in Brisbane trying to find out what caused the failure. The General Electric CF6-80A2 engine is one of 11 owned by Air New Zealand. The Herald found details of an incident in Philadelphia two years ago which suggests Sunday's failure could have been lethal.

The incident, in September 2000, involved a Boeing 767 aircraft, fitted with CF6-80C2B2 engines.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said a high-pressure turbine disc ruptured during a ground test and sent metal into a fuel tank, causing an explosion and fire.

"This incident raises serious safety concerns," the board said, "because if it had occurred during flight rather than on the ground during maintenance, the airplane might not have been able to maintain safe flight."

Mr Sinclair told National Radio he could not compare Sunday's failure with others that had occurred in the engines until a full assessment had been done.

'Everyone was crying and screaming'

Passengers on the Air New Zealand flight that made an emergency landing in Brisbane when one of its engines disintegrated arrived early yesterday in Auckland, where they talked of their fears.

Peter and Liza Darrow, from Waiheke Island: "Just after take-off there was this huge bang, then everyone looked and screamed. Then the captain said, 'We have engine failure', and he said everything was fine. And we felt pretty calm. Then just before we landed it went mad. Everyone was crying and screaming."

The couple saw the damaged engine through a window in the plane and as they walked across the tarmac: "Then we realised we had escaped death."

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Bernd and Ingrid Harting, from Germany: "The captain said they had everything under control, but then suddenly at 500ft he started yelling, 'Brace, brace, brace yourself'."

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Members of the Tauranga Girls College rowing team: "There was this big bang and one of the girls saw something fly off the plane. One of the assistants, who was serving us breakfast, dropped to the ground as the plane jolted. When we landed they [the flight crew] said, 'We are in control now, more or less'."

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Steve Anderson, from Queensland: "When we landed there was a round of applause and a few people cried a little bit, then the pilot calmed everyone down. Once we were stationary we were surrounded by fire engines. The scary bit was that a fire engine came up fairly close under the motor and started spraying foam. The pilot announced that it was because the brakes had over-heated."

Update on Air NZ incidents

A summary of the status of investigations into incidents involving Air NZ aircraft over the past two years:

1. An investigation into an incident on May 19 last year has been completed. Part of a track used to control a wing flap broke off a 767 landing at Auckland and crashed through a Manukau warehouse roof. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released its report on April 10 this year blaming the failure on a fatigue crack caused by the presence of slag metal at a critical point on the surface of the track. No blame was placed on Air NZ or maintenance systems, but new procedures are in place.

2. Air NZ has investigated a component failure on August 23this year, when a Boeing 767 returned to Perth after an aileron problem was discovered. A report was filed with the Civil Aviation Authority but has not been released.

3. Air NZ is still investigating an incident on August 24, when a wing panel fixed by four screws instead of 125 fell from a 747 into the Manukau Harbour. The probe was completed under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority and resulted in changes to Air NZ's work practices. It is not known when a final report will be released.

4. The TAIC has investigated an incident on August 30, when a 2m section from a 747's wing fell into the Manukau Harbour. A preliminary report will be given to the commission's January meeting before it is passed to the parties for confidential feedback. A final report should be released in April next year.

5. Air NZ is still investigating an incident on September 25 when a jumbo jet flying to Los Angeles returned to London after the crew noticed loud bangs and excessive temperature in one engine.

- additional reporting: Chris Daniels, Ainsley Thomson