Flight History
On 17 June 2011, at 17:21 UTC, an ATR42-500 aircraft (registration YR-ATG, operated by TAROM) departed from runway 31L of Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport as flight ROT234 to Bucharest. Approximately 11 seconds after rotation, at around 1100 feet, the flight crew noticed engine noise from the right-hand (RH) engine, typical of an engine stall. After reducing thrust to flight idle, they received a low engine oil pressure warning followed by an engine fire warning. The pilots executed the memory items from the emergency checklist for engine fire and feathered the propeller of the affected engine. They declared MAYDAY, reporting an engine fire, and requested landing. Initially requesting runway 31L, they soon changed to runway 13L, which was granted by the aerodrome controller. The aircraft landed on runway 13L approximately three minutes after takeoff. The engine fire was extinguished in flight.
Emergency Response
After landing, the aircraft exited the runway and stopped on a taxiway. The captain ordered an emergency evacuation. One passenger experienced medical problems due to the emergency situation and required medical assistance. The airport fire brigade, alerted at 17:22, had vehicles standing by on taxiways A5 and A9. The aircraft was inspected by the fire brigade and later towed to the apron.
Investigation Findings
Under the supervision of the Transportation Safety Bureau of Hungary (TSB), the defective engine was removed from the aircraft and transported to an authorized repair facility for disassembly. The power turbine disk assemblies were sent to the engine manufacturer for laboratory analysis. The inspection revealed that the engine failure was caused by a broken turbine blade. The blade defect was a consequence of microshrinkage porosity and a subsequent fatigue crack. Other damage was consequential. The investigation also noted two other similar serious incidents in 2011 and one in 2013, involving the same aircraft and engine types, which were investigated by other authorities. Coordinated safety recommendations were issued.
Safety Recommendations
The investigating committee issued five immediate safety recommendations concerning turbine blade inspections during manufacturing and onboard documentation related to in-flight emergency situations. Additionally, a recommendation was made regarding training and equipment modification for the Passenger Address system of the affected aircraft type.