Internal communication after emergency landing Swiss Airbus A220 engine shows "unknown fault pattern"
Following the emergency landing of a Swiss aircraft in Graz and the death of a crew member, the investigation into the incident is in full swing. Initial analyses indicate a "previously unknown fault pattern" on an engine, Swiss wrote in an internal statement.
31.12.2024, 10:33
31.12.2024, 11:31
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- A week ago, a Swiss plane on its way from Bucharest to Zurich had to make an emergency landing in Graz.
- Initial analyses indicate a "previously unknown fault pattern" on an engine, Swiss wrote in an internal memo.
- It stated that the engine had "suddenly and unexpectedly failed".
A Swiss spokeswoman confirmed the content of the memo to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. It stated that the engine had "suddenly and unexpectedly failed".
According to the spokesperson, the affected engine will be dismantled in Graz and taken to the USA. There it will be examined by the manufacturer Pratt & Whitney together with the authorities. "This may take some time," explained the Swiss spokesperson.
The memo stated that the engine manufacturer and the authorities had emphasized that there was no "fundamental, safety-relevant problem". The rest of Swiss' A220 fleet remained in operation after the incident.
The most serious incident in the company's history
It is the most serious incident in Swiss' 23-year company history to date: an Airbus A220 was en route from Bucharest to Zurich a week ago with 74 passengers and five crew members. The jet had to make an emergency landing due to engine problems and smoke in the cabin. One crew member was seriously injured and later died in hospital.
One crew member was seriously injured during the flight, was admitted to intensive care and died a week later in hospital. A total of twelve passengers and four crew members received temporary medical care.
The airline spoke of a "black day" in the news of the death on Monday evening. Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger expressed his condolences to the bereaved family. "We are doing everything in our power to support them in these extremely difficult hours."
"Incredibly sad"
"As Swiss, we always have one goal at the top of our agenda: to get our guests and crews safely and healthily to their destination and back home again," said Swiss Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer in a video message. In the case of one colleague, "we did not succeed. I am incredibly sad and deeply saddened".
They are working at full speed to find the reasons for the incident. "At the moment, we don't know exactly what happened on flight LX1885," said Buchhofer. "We will find the answers."
The public prosecutor's office in Austria opened an investigation. They ordered a forensic autopsy of the deceased crew member, according to the Styrian State Police Directorate. This will take place in the coming days. A flight expert is to determine the cause of the heavy smoke development on board the aircraft and the resulting flight abort.
Passenger reports dramatic moments
A passenger reported dramatic moments on board after the emergency landing in Graz. "There was a strange noise, a lot of smoke and people couldn't breathe. I didn't know what had happened," she told the Austrian newspaper "Kleine Zeitung" in a video interview.
She was asleep at first, then heard a noise and smelled smoke. "I panicked, I didn't know what was going on," said the young woman. "I tried to calm down." The flight captain then said that he had to make an emergency landing. Other passengers had seen an explosion and fire on the engine.
Previous problems with engines
The affected Airbus A220 aircraft series has repeatedly experienced engine problems in the past. Incidents have included parts of the engine being ejected outwards due to a malfunction. The incidents led to temporary groundings, which also affected Swiss.
The Lufthansa subsidiary operates 30 aircraft of the short-haul jet, 21 in the long-haul version and 9 in the short-haul version. The longer version has 145 seats and a range of over 6000 kilometers. Fuel consumption is up to a quarter lower than comparable aircraft. They first entered service in 2016.
In a statement, Swiss explained that the Airbus A220 is a safe aircraft and that the Pratt & Whitney engines have clocked up over 36 million flight hours worldwide since entering service. It has confidence in these engines and will continue to operate flights with the A220.