What happened
On 24 June 2013, an Airbus A330-243, registration G-OMYT, was performing a scheduled commercial passenger flight from Manchester to Punta Cana. The aircraft was carrying 328 passengers and 11 crew members. During the takeoff roll on Runway 23R, the aircraft reached a speed of approximately 105 kt when the right engine suddenly failed. The failure was accompanied by a visible flash and smoke from the exhaust, as well as a significant vibration through the engine pylon and nacelle.
Upon noticing the aircraft yawing to the right, the commander took control and initiated an aborted takeoff. The crew successfully brought the aircraft to an emergency stop on the runway. Although an ECAM warning confirmed the engine failure, the aircraft remained safe enough to taxi under its own power using the remaining left engine. Emergency services attended the scene as a precaution, but no injuries were reported to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
Investigators examined the right engine, which had completed 5,200 cycles since its previous overhaul. A borescope inspection revealed that a single high-pressure (HP) turbine blade had detached just above its root. This separation triggered a high-power engine surge and caused secondary damage to the intermediate-pressure (IP) and low-pressure (LP) turbines, as well as the nozzles.
Further inspection showed that metallic debris from the failed blade had traveled downstream, causing material loss and tip bending in the HP compressor. The investigation also found that the IP and LP spools had seized because debris became trapped between the rotors and the casings during the engine rundown. Despite the internal damage, the engine structure and casings remained intact, confirming the failure was properly contained.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was high-cycle fatigue (HCF) following crack initiation from Type 2 Sulphidation corrosion.
- Laboratory analysis of the blade root identified multiple points where cracks began due to the corrosive process.
- The loss of the HP turbine blade led to an engine surge and subsequent damage to the IP and LP turbine components.
- The engine's containment system functioned as designed, preventing any breach of the external engine structure.