Incident Overview
On Friday, 8 November 2024, an Airbus A320-232, registration EC-MBS, operated by Vueling Airlines S.A., was preparing for a flight from Barcelona Airport to Granada Airport. The aircraft had 174 persons on board, including 6 crew members. It was the fifth flight of the day for the aircraft and the first for the crew.
Engine start and taxi proceeded normally. At 16:44:17 UTC, the aircraft began its takeoff roll on runway 24L. At 16:44:42, while the aircraft was rolling at a calibrated airspeed of 125 knots, the pilots heard an explosion. The sound was unfamiliar and not immediately identifiable, but it was close enough for the crew to recognize it came from the aircraft. Simultaneously, ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring) alerts appeared indicating failure of engine number 2, accompanied by a loss of power from that engine. The captain decided to abort the takeoff and had to apply left pedal inputs to maintain the aircraft on the runway centerline.
The aircraft decelerated without issues and stopped at 16:44:57, approximately 1300 meters from the end of the runway.
After assessing the situation and confirming with the tower that there was no fire or smoke, the pilots determined they could vacate the runway using their own means, despite engine 2 being inoperative. They exited via taxiway G7 and taxied to assigned parking 410. While approaching parking 410, firefighters informed the crew that they observed "some fire in the nacelle" of engine 2, though the flight deck had no fire indications. Consequently, the pilots discharged fire extinguisher agent number 1 into engine 2. Firefighters subsequently reported that the fire was no longer visible.
No emergency evacuation was declared; passengers deplaned normally. There were no injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to engine number 2.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-232 powered by two IAE V2527-A5 engines. The pilot-in-command, aged 48, held an ATPL(A) license valid until 30 April 2025, with 10,102:30 total flight hours, including 7,702:30 hours on type. The co-pilot, aged 33, also held an ATPL(A) license valid until 30 November 2025, with 3,914:44 total flight hours, including 3,648:17 hours on type.
Findings
The investigation focused on three areas: the cause of the power loss in engine number 2, the crew's management of the emergency, and the airport's emergency management.
Investigation Status
The investigation has been completed, and the final report is to be published shortly.