Narrative:
An Airbus A330-322 passenger plane, D-AERK, sustained substantial damage when it lost engine cowlings after takeoff from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS).
The airplane landed safely back at Düsseldorf and no one was injured.
The A330 had departed Düsseldorf on a flight to Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG), Greece. It was climbing through FL105 when the crew heard a loud bang, followed by some unusual noises. The crew then checked the locking of the doors and hatches but found no problems. Since no errors were detected by the aircraft monitoring system (ECAM) the flight continued. Shortly afterwards a cabin crew member reported the loss of a large part of the engine cowling of the left engine.
The crew then decided to cancel the flight and return to Düsseldorf. The crew did not declare an emergency. The aircraft landed without further problems in Düsseldorf. At the parking position fuel was seen leaking from the left wing because of hole in the underside of the wing. Further damage was caused to the belly fairing and underlying structure and hydraulics.
CONCLUSIONS:
The accident was due to the fact that the front two or all three of the cowling latches were not properly closed. Contributing to the accident, was that the warning color on the handles was worn.
There was no evidence of a structural failure of the composite cladding.
Forced landing on runway
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Thursday 4 October 2007 |
| Time: | 10:50 |
| Type: |  Airbus A330-322 |
| Operator: | LTU |
| Registration: | D-AERK |
| MSN: | 120 |
| First flight: | 1996-02-13 (11 years 8 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 45156 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney PW4168 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 11 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 114 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 125 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | over Düsseldorf-Dormagen ( Germany)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS/EDDL), Germany |
| Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG/LGTS), Greece |
An Airbus A330-322 passenger plane, D-AERK, sustained substantial damage when it lost engine cowlings after takeoff from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS).
The airplane landed safely back at Düsseldorf and no one was injured.
The A330 had departed Düsseldorf on a flight to Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG), Greece. It was climbing through FL105 when the crew heard a loud bang, followed by some unusual noises. The crew then checked the locking of the doors and hatches but found no problems. Since no errors were detected by the aircraft monitoring system (ECAM) the flight continued. Shortly afterwards a cabin crew member reported the loss of a large part of the engine cowling of the left engine.
The crew then decided to cancel the flight and return to Düsseldorf. The crew did not declare an emergency. The aircraft landed without further problems in Düsseldorf. At the parking position fuel was seen leaking from the left wing because of hole in the underside of the wing. Further damage was caused to the belly fairing and underlying structure and hydraulics.
Probable Cause:
CONCLUSIONS:
The accident was due to the fact that the front two or all three of the cowling latches were not properly closed. Contributing to the accident, was that the warning color on the handles was worn.
There was no evidence of a structural failure of the composite cladding.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Loss/opening of engine cowlingForced landing on runway
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Düsseldorf International Airport to Thessaloniki International Airport as the crow flies is 1714 km (1071 miles).
Distance from Düsseldorf International Airport to Thessaloniki International Airport as the crow flies is 1714 km (1071 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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