Component Which Cause Oil Fire Identified

Rolls-Royce says it has identified the Trent 900 engine component which it believes caused the failure of an engine on the Airbus A380 operating as Qantas flight QF32 on 4 November 2010.

In a statement released to the media, Rolls-Royce says that immediately following the incident, a series of engine checks was introduced on the Trent 900s to understand the cause and to ensure safe operation. They were conducted in parallel with a "rigorous examination" of all available evidence, including data from the damaged engine and its monitoring system, analysis of recovered material and interrogation of the fleet history.

The investigations have led the company to draw two key conclusions. First, as previously announced, the issue is specific to the Trent 900. Secondly, the failure was confined to a specific component in the turbine area of the engine. This caused an oil fire, which led to the release of the intermediate pressure turbine disc.

The company said its process of inspection will continue and will be supplemented by the replacement of the relevant module according to an agreed program. "These measures, undertaken in collaboration with Airbus, our Trent 900 customers and the regulators have regrettably led to some reduction in aircraft availability. This program will enable our customers progressively to bring the whole fleet back into service," the statement says.

Trent 900 Engine

"Safety is the highest priority of Rolls-Royce," said Rolls-Royce CEO Sir John Rose. "This has been demonstrated by the rapid and prudent action we have taken following the Trent 900 incident. We have instigated a programme of measures in collaboration with Airbus, our Trent 900 customers and the regulators. This will enable our customers progressively to bring the whole fleet back into service. We regret the disruption we have caused."

Rolls-Royce said it is cooperating fully with the government authorities investigating the incident.

FMI: www.rolls-royce.com