What happened
On 11 April 2002, an Airbus A300-600, registration SU-GAV, was performing a scheduled international passenger flight from Johannesburg International Aerodrome to Cairo. As the aircraft reached rotation speed on Runway 03L, the number two engine experienced a compressor surge. In response to the engine malfunction, the pilot-in-command initiated an aborted take-off.
To bring the aircraft to a halt, the crew applied maximum braking force. The intensity of this high-energy deceleration caused several tires to fail and led to a brake unit separating from the axle. The friction generated a brake fire, though airport fire services were able to extinguish the flames shortly after the aircraft came to a stop. All 151 people on board were evacuated safely via the left-side escape slides, with 0 fatalities and 0 injuries reported.
The investigation
Investigators examined the right-hand engine following the incident. Upon disassembly at an authorized facility, technicians discovered significant wear on the stator rub strips and the High Pressure Compressor inner rear case rear hook. This wear created excessive tip clearance for the final stages of the compressor blades, which directly reduced the engine's surge margin.
The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance documentation. While the aircraft was reportedly maintained under a phase inspection program, investigators noted that A-check records were not properly organized on board, raising questions regarding the verified maintenance status of the aircraft at the time of the event.
Findings
- The primary cause of the compressor surge was the excessive wear of the compressor components, which increased tip clearance and diminished the engine's surge margin.
- The decision to abort the take-off after reaching V1 speed acted as a contributing factor to the high-energy stop and subsequent mechanical failures.
- Inadequate onboard record-keeping for A-checks was identified as a maintenance documentation issue.