What happened
On May 26, 2001, at approximately 19:30 local time, an Airbus A320, registered 5B-DAU, was involved in an incident during taxiing at Geneva Airport. The aircraft, operated by Cyprus Airways on flight CY 463 from Geneva to Larnaca, was operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) with 56 passengers and 8 cabin crew members on board.
While the aircraft was taxiing on the ground, several simultaneous issues were detected within the cabin. A smoke alarm was triggered in the lavatory, accompanied by a temperature increase in the rear of the cabin that produced a very strong odor. Concurrently, the crew received an alarm indicating an overheat condition in the number 2 air conditioning pack.
In response to these developing conditions, the pilot requested to return to the parking stand to address the situation.
The investigation
Following the event, the Swiss aviation investigation bureau conducted an inquiry into the cause of the smoke and overheating. The investigation focused on the mechanical failures within the aircraft's environmental control systems and the source of the odor and smoke detected in the passenger area.
Findings
Technical analysis revealed that the incident was linked to malfunctions within the aircraft's air conditioning system. The investigation established that the issue was persistent, as several previous attempts to rectify the problem through the replacement of individual components had failed to provide a permanent fix. The investigation concluded that the replacement of the entire number 2 air conditioning pack installation was required to definitively resolve the underlying fault.