What happened
On November 8, 2024, at 16:44 UTC, an Airbus A320-232, registration EC-MBS, operated by Vueling Airlines S.A., was performing a scheduled domestic flight from Barcelona to Granada. The aircraft was carrying 174 people, including 168 passengers and 6 crew members.
During the takeoff roll on runway 24L, while the aircraft reached a calibrated airspeed of 125 kt, the flight crew heard an unidentified explosion originating from the aircraft. Simultaneously, the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) system issued alerts regarding a failure in the number 2 engine, accompanied by a loss of power from that engine. The commander initiated an aborted takeoff, requiring significant left pedal input to maintain the aircraft on the runway centerline.
The aircraft decelerated and came to a stop approximately 1,300 meters before the end of the runway. After confirming there was no visible smoke or fire in the cockpit and determining they could vacate the runway using the remaining engine, the crew taxied to parking position 410. As they approached the parking area, airport firefighters reported seeing fire within the engine nacelle of the number 2 engine, although no fire warnings had been triggered in the cockpit. The crew deployed the first fire extinguisher on the engine, after which the fire was no longer visible. No emergency evacuation was required, and passengers disembarked normally. There were no injuries.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation focused on three primary areas:
- Determining the cause of the power loss in the number 2 engine.
- Evaluating the flight crew's management of the emergency.
- Assessing the airport's emergency response and management.