A LOGANAIR flight between Glasgow and Shetland had to divert to Aberdeen Airport after one of its engines caught on fire, an investigation into the incident has found.
The Loganair ATR 42-500 aircraft had to make an emergency landing in the Granite City on July 23, 2024, after a Mayday alert was declared due to a malfunction with the aircraft.
The flight had 30 passengers on board at the time and the plane's crew was able to shut down the engine and successfully extinguish the fire.
The twin-engine aircraft diverted to Aberdeen and landed without further incident.
An investigation into the incident found that the fire took place inside the aircraft's cowlings due to a leak from the fuel return line.
Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the fuel return line had become loose following the engine failure.
A report by AAIB stated that just 30 minutes into the journey the pilot described hearing a “big thump” or “muffled bang”.
The plane then “immediately yawned to the left” before the autopilot corrected its route.
It was at this point that the mayday call was issued, and the diversion was initiated, with it landing safely at Aberdeen a short time later.
The report stated: “Whilst in the cruise, the aircraft suffered a contained failure of the No 1 engine and a subsequent fire inside its cowlings due to a leak from the fuel return line which had become sufficiently loose following the engine failure to result in fuel leakage.
“Although this is the only known instance of this fuel line becoming loose, the aircraft manufacturer has commenced a safety review to identify any possible safety actions which would further reduce the likelihood of leakage from the fuel return line.”
Loganair said it has “commenced a safety review to identify any possible safety actions which would further reduce the likelihood of leakage from the fuel return line”.
