Summary
- An Airbus A320neo operated by Air Astana has returned to service after an engine failure event last month, but Kazakhstan is investigating the incident.
- The plane, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G engines, was grounded for 10 days after the failure.
- The incident occurred during a flight from Almaty to Tashkent, with the pilots receiving an engine warning around 28,000 feet.
An Airbus A320neo operated by Air Astana, the carrier of Kazakhstan, has returned to service without further incident after an inflight engine failure last month. Although the aircraft is back to operating passenger flights, Kazakhstan’s investigating agency reportedly classifies the engine failure as a serious event and is carrying out an investigation.
The plane, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G engines, was taken out of operation for about 10 days after diverting to Almaty as a result of the incident. The engines, also often known as geared turbofan (GTF) engines, were recalled in July as a result of alleged microscopic cracks.
Details of the incident
In line with The Aviation Herald, the A320neo registered as EI-KBK, performed KC127 on September seventeenth. The flight originated at Air Astana’s hub at Almaty International Airport (ALA) and was scheduled to operate to Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport (TAS) in Uzbekistan. Data from Flightradar24.com shows that the aircraft departed from ALA on time, pushing back from the gate at 12:05 and taking off at 12:20.
Photo: Air Astana
EI-KBK departed from Runway 05R at ALA and was climbing rapidly. Just three minutes into the air, the plane was approaching 10,000 feet and turned north after which west to intercept its flight path to Tashkent. It’s unclear which level of altitude was determined for the aircraft’s cruise, however the pilots reportedly stopped the climb at 28,000 feet, which was reached roughly 12 minutes after take off. The crew received an “ENG 2 STAL” indication through the aircraft’s engine and warning display on the electronic centralized aircraft monitor (ECAM), based on The Aviation Herald.
Rerouting back to Almaty
The A320neo continued flying west for one more three minutes before it began to descend and reroute back to ALA. The plane turned back around and headed southeast toward the airport. About 25 minutes into the flight, the aircraft flew right into a holding pattern, a practice used to kill time within the air for various reasons. Nevertheless, as a result of the character of the incident, EI-KBK was likely placed right into a hold as a result of the crew possibly requesting more time to perform checklist procedures for its return to ALA.
Photo: Flightradar24.com
The aircraft continued to descend while within the hold and was lined up for its final approach about 10 minutes later. It landed safely, back on Runway 05R at 12:59, around 40 minutes after it took off, based on Flightradar24.com.
Air Astana arranged a alternative aircraft for use to proceed the flight. The airline deployed EI-KBY, an A320, to complete KC127, and it arrived at TAS about 4 hours later than its original scheduled arrival time, based on The Aviation Herald.
Re-entry into service
EI-KBK remained on the bottom at ALA for over every week because it likely received maintenance and repairs. The aircraft re-entered service on September twenty seventh, operating as KC881 to Oral Ak Zhol Airport, data from Flightradar24.com shows. In line with ch-aviation, the plane is three years old and has since performed several legs without further incident. Nevertheless, Kazakhstan’s investigating agency, AIID, is investigating last month’s engine failure event, reporting it as a serious incident.
It’s unclear whether the incident was related to the reasoning behind Pratt & Whitney’s recall of its GTF engines, but the continued issues have prompted the manufacturer to order inspections of as much as 700 aircraft over the subsequent three years. The recall has already affected the operation of several airlines, including US-based ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air Latest Zealand, and most recently, Turkish Airlines.