What happened
On August 17, 2025, at 15:30 UTC, a Douglas DC-9-82, registration YV3499, operated by RUTAS AEREAS DE VENEZUELA S.A (RAVSA), departed from Maiquetia International Airport (SVMI) bound for Margarita. The flight was carrying 155 people, including a crew of eight and 149 passengers.
During the initial climb phase, while passing through 12,000 feet, the crew heard explosions coming from the right engine. The commander requested that approach control maintain a flight level of FL 130 and immediately implemented the procedures outlined in the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH). After failing to achieve satisfactory results following the checklist, the pilot shut down the engine and decided to return to the departure airport. The aircraft landed safely at Maiquetia with no injuries to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records, which indicated that the plane was airworthy and had valid certificates of airworthiness and insurance at the time of the event. The investigation included interviews with the flight crew and a review of several technical documents, including flight logs, maintenance control records, and the aircraft's radio station license.
A borescope inspection was performed on the engines. As part of the process, the number 2 engine was replaced, and the original engine was sent for further expert analysis to determine the root cause of the failure.
Findings
Technical inspections revealed several issues within the engine components:
- HPT Blades (T1): Erosion and corrosion were observed on the concave side of all blades, along with erosion on the leading edge.
- Combustion Chambers: Multiple cracks were identified in various chambers. Specifically, cracks were found in the nozzle guide vanes (NGVs) of chambers #1, #2, #5, #6, and #8, as well as an axial crack in the internal duct of chamber #7.
- Engine failure was characterized by audible explosions in the right engine during the climb phase.