Event Details
On 31 October 2017 at 12:45 UTC, an Embraer ERJ 170-200 departed from Kharkiv International Airport (UKHH) bound for Warsaw Chopin Airport (EPWA). During the retraction of flaps and slats after takeoff, the Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) displayed a SLAT FAIL message. The aircraft was operating within the Warsaw FIR (FIR EPWW).
Crew Actions
The flight crew performed the procedures outlined in Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) section 3.10, but the SLAT FAIL indication persisted. A visual inspection of the slat positions confirmed that the slats were in the zero (retracted) position. The crew decided to continue the flight to EPWA. They informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Maintenance Control Centre (MCC) of the situation. Due to the anticipated higher landing speed resulting from the slat configuration, the crew requested fire brigade assistance for the landing. The landing was executed with flaps set to 2 and slats at 0, and was completed without further incident. The aircraft was subsequently handed over to technical services.
Investigation Findings
The operator conducted an investigation. Analysis of Flight History Database (FHDB) recordings from flights prior to the incident revealed no indications of faults in any Flight Controls system components. However, review of the FHDB data from the flight on 31 October 2017 showed that an ICE CONDITION warning had appeared shortly before the failure. Technical personnel performed checks in accordance with the Fault Isolation Manual (FIM). Due to operational constraints, only a few FIM steps were completed. After an operational test, the EICAS message cleared. The SLAT FAIL message occurred only once, and the aircraft was returned to service. Subsequent flights operated normally with no recurrence.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the probable cause of the SLAT FAIL message was icing of the slat(s).