Air safety investigators examining the British Airways plane that was engulfed in flames on Wednesday as it prepared to take off for London have found engine components on the runway and damage to the aircraft’s left engine.
The 157 passengers and 13 crew had to evacuate flight 2276 as it sat on the runway at Las Vegas McCarran airport, with the pilot, Chris Henkey, from Reading, Berkshire, applauded for his “textbook response” to the crisis.
Experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said their initial investigation showed up “multiple breaches of the engine case in the area around the high pressure compressor” and “several pieces of the high pressure compressor spool” from the Boeing 777 lying on the tarmac. They said the components they found were about seven to eight inches in length.
The NTSB investigative team included experts in powerplants, airplane systems and fire. The board said the powerplants and airworthiness groups would continue their work over the next few days. They planned to removed the left engine and take it to a facility where it can be examined in more detail.
The investigators will also examine the aircraft’s flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder and quick access recorder.
They said that the aircraft was severely damaged on its left side by the fire, including damage to the engine and pylon, fuselage structure and inboard wing.
Investigators from America’s Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and GE Aviation – as well as British Airways and the UK Civil Aviation Authority – in their capacities as representatives of the UK air accidents investigations branch – are helping with the investigation.
