What happened
During cruise flight at an altitude of 12,000 feet, the flight crew of a De Havilland Canada DHC-8 noticed a warning light indicating low oil pressure. Approximately five seconds later, the right engine fire warning light illuminated on the flight deck. The crew confirmed the presence of a fire and discharged the first fire extinguisher bottle. Although the fire was initially suppressed, it flared up again, prompting the discharge of the second extinguisher bottle. After the fire was fully extinguished, the aircraft completed a landing without further incident.
The investigation
Post-accident inspection of the aircraft revealed broken oil lines leading to the number 6 and 7 bearings. Further technical analysis determined that the root cause involved failed low pressure turbine blades. These failures were attributed to internal corrosion within the engine components. According to the manufacturer, new solid blades are currently under engineering evaluation to address this issue.