British Airways Boeing 777-200ER Crash Update

April 25th, 2008

Since the January 17, 2008 crash of a British Airways’ Boeing 777-200ER, investigative work into the cause continues, assisted by Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce, the AAIB and a host of other agencies.

In an article published today by the Wall Street Journal, the UK’s chief investigator alluded to new safety recommendations being put forward for flights over polar routes.

The British Airways flight from Beijing is widely suspected to have had its fuel system clogged up by ice chunks or slush build up, thus preventing fuel from flowing to the engines prior to their failure on final approach into London Heathrow Airport.

Initial investigations had centred on the engines FADEC system malfunctioning - thus far, Rolls Royce has not offered any public statement on the investigation efforts thus far aside from saying it is working with authorities to discover the cause of the engines failing during descent.

Rolls Royce was unavailable for comment surrounding the investigation.

Image courtesy of oneworld

Ice formation and build up is still seen as a very infrequent occurrence in flights routed over cold regions. Air France also uses its 777’s on routes to Beijing, although this is served by the larger 777-300ER and not -200ER which was the model involved in the British Airways crash.

It is thought that some investigators, including British Airways’ own engineering department, that Rolls Royce powered Boeing 777’s should have the existing fuel system adapted to better cope with cold temperatures over such polar routes.

This would also directly impact upon other large operators such as Singapore Airlines and American Airlines who also have Rolls Royce engines on their 777-200ER’s.

For the interim, the cause of the crash remains as elusive as it did in the opening weeks of the investigation. With over 14 million flight hours completed by the worldwide fleet, the Boeing 777 remains one of the safest widebody jets ever produced.

Getting to the bottom of this investigation will ultimately make this airplane safer still.

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