Engine ‘flame out’ on Geraldton-to-Perth Virgin Australia plane caused by seized fuel flow regulator

A Geraldton-to-Perth Virgin flight with 28 passengers and crew on board had an engine “flame out” shortly after take-off, but the pilots decided to continue to Perth with only one working engine. The cause of the flame out on the Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Fokker 100 aircraft during the July 9, 2019 flight has been confirmed in an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation report released today. The fuel flow regulator had seized due to internal gearing wear, despite being maintained within the recommended service life limits. The failure out of the left Rolls-Royce Tay engine occurred during the plane’s climb through 13,000 feet, about 41km south-east of Geraldton. The flight crew made the call to maintain their air speed and continue to Perth, rather than return to Geraldton. They did not increase thrust and cruised at 6500 feet below the maximum engine-out altitude to avoid straining the right engine. “Following the engine failure, the crew’s decision to continue to Perth, where the aircraft landed without further incident, resulted in a longer exposure to one engine inoperative flight risks, compared to a diversion to the nearest suitable airport, which in this case was Geraldton,” ATSB acting director transport safety Kerri Hughes said. Investigators noted the crew likely determined the risk of a second engine failure was remote, but may not have fully contemplated the operational risks associated with continuing to fly with a single engine at a lower altitude of 14,000 feet. “Consequently, opportunities were missed to further mitigate operational risk via repositioning the aircraft into controlled airspace, more direct tracking to Perth and the optimisation of their glide range,” the ATSB report reads. It was also found the fuel flow regulator failure resulted in an engine 1 thrust variation for about 45 seconds before the flame out. “That went undetected by the crew due to the effects of automation, focused attention on other cockpit tasks, and the absence of any alert prior to the engine failure,” the report reads. Following this incident, a review was conducted and Rolls-Royce changed the recommended overhaul timeframe of fuel flow regulators from every 16,000 hours to 10,000. Ms Hughes said this incident highlighted that initial indications of component failures and malfunctions might be subtle and automation could obscure significant changes in aircraft system status, including engine health. “The incident also illustrates the numerous factors to be considered when managing the initial and subsequent aspects of power loss in a complex aircraft,” she said. Virgin Australia spokesman Kris Taute welcomed Rolls-Royce’s review and maintenance changes, as the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew was its top priority. “This, alongside expanded training that reinforces the importance of in-flight decision-making and the effective management of these situations ensures our flight crew are well placed to respond to future occurrences,” the spokesperson said. “We always exercise caution to ensure we appropriately manage the many factors involved in these situations.” Last month, the ATSB released a report into a Geraldton-bound QantasLink Fokker 100 flight last August, which dropped more than 15,000 feet in six minutes causing oxygen masks to be deployed, which was caused by an incorrectly installed insulation blanket.