Virgin Australia is under investigation after two engines on one of its aircraft “flamed out” during descent and had to be manually re-ignited before the aircraft hit the tarmac.
The incident, which involved an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop aircraft en route from Sydney to Canberra on December 13, has been categorised as “serious” by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
While no one was injured during the landing, flight tracking data showed the aircraft remained at Canberra Airport for three days once it was on the ground.
It returned to operations for an early morning flight from Sydney to Tamworth on December 17 and has since completed 11 more flights.
“While the aircraft was descending through 11,000ft in heavy rain, the right engine’s power rolled back (decreased) and the engine flamed out. The engine automatically re-started within five seconds,” the ATSB said.
“The descent continued and, while passing through 10,000ft, the left engine’s power also rolled back and that engine flamed out before automatically re-lighting.
“The crew selected manual engine ignition for the remainder of the flight and the landing.”
The ATSB’s investigation isn’t expected to be completed until late 2019, so the aircraft – which frequents Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and regional areas – will remain in operation heading into next year.
However, safety investigators have said that any findings that are deemed a threat to travellers will be made public immediately.
“Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate action can be taken,” the agency said.
A spokesperson from Virgin Australia said the incident resulted in “no customer impact”.
“Virgin Australia can confirm the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an engine incident involving one of our ATR-72 aircraft,” the spokesperson said.
“The aircraft, travelling from Sydney to Canberra, landed safely and there was no customer impact. Safety is always our number one priority and we are assisting the ATSB with their investigation.”
A “flame out” refers to when the flame within a jet engine’s combustion chamber is extinguished.
The ATR 72-600 VH-FVN aircraft was delivered to Skywest Airlines, which was later acquired by Virgin Australia and re-named Virgin Australia Regional Airlines, in 2012.
