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| Date: | Thursday 6 November 2003 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Airbus A330-343 |
| Owner/operator: | Air Canada |
| Registration: | C-GHKX |
| MSN: | 412 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce Trent 772-B60 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 98 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR) -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR) |
| Calgary International Airport, AB (YYC/CYYC) | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An Air Canada Airbus A330-300 (registration C-GHKX, serial number 0412), operating as Flight AC216, departed Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia, at 1423 Pacific standard time on a scheduled flight to Calgary, Alberta, with 6 crew members and 92 passengers on board. Shortly after take-off, the Vancouver tower informed the pilots that a substantial amount of smoke or vapour was coming from the number 2 engine. Although the pilots did not receive any abnormal engine indications or cockpit warnings, they declared an emergency and advised that they were returning to Vancouver.
After an uneventful landing, the pilots shut down the number 2 engine. Aircraft rescue and firefighting services,
following the aircraft, advised the pilots that fuel was leaking from the engine but there was no sign of fire.
Eventually, the aircraft was towed back to the terminal where the passengers were deplaned. There were no
injuries or damage to the aircraft.
Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors
1. Because of an incorrect entry on the maintenance office duty board and because technicians did not follow the TSM, they unnecessarily removed the LP fuel line from the fuel/oil heat exchanger.
2. Because the technicians were unfamiliar with the coupling, because the retainer was hidden from view, and because they did not refer to the AMM, the technicians did not properly reconnect the LP fuel line.
3. Upon the application of take-off power, the fuel pressure, the fuel flow rate, and engine vibration caused the fuel/oil heat exchanger LP fuel line to detach, causing a substantial fuel leak from the number 2 engine.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
TSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 6 December 2002 | C-GHKX | Air Canada | 0 | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |  |
non |
| Taxiway excursion | ||||||
| 11 March 2008 | C-GHKX | Air Canada | 0 | Calgary International Airport, AB (YYC/CYYC) | |
min |
| Tire failure | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-May-2025 19:03 | Anon. | Updated [Total occupants, ] |
| 20-May-2025 19:05 | ASN | Updated [Total fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 20-May-2025 19:05 | ASN | Updated [Destination airport, ] |
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