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The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (September 4) published the final report of the investigation into the accident involving an Airbus A330-342 aircraft operated by Cathay Pacific Airways (registration mark B-HLL) at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) that took place on April 13, 2010.
The flight, CPA780, was arriving from Surabaya, Indonesia. When approaching HKIA it declared an emergency with control problem on the engines. The aircraft subsequently landed at a high ground speed at the HKIA. The commander of the aircraft initiated an emergency evacuation of passengers. Fifty-seven passengers and six cabin crew were injured during the evacuation. Most of them sustained minor injuries.
"After the accident, the Chief Inspector of Accidents ordered an inspector's investigation in accordance with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations (Chapter 448B). The objective of the investigation was to determine the circumstances and causes of the accident with a view to the preservation of life and the avoidance of accidents in the future," a CAD spokesperson said.
The investigation was conducted by a team of trained accident investigators in strict adherence to the international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The investigation report contains an analysis of the circumstances of the accident, and identifies that contaminated fuel which was uplifted at Surabaya had caused stiction in the Fuel Metering Units of both engines and eventually the total seizure of these components, rendering the loss of both engine thrust controls of the aircraft during the approach to HKIA. The CAD has promptly notified relevant authorities (including the Indonesian authority) and ICAO of immediate corrective measures required to ensure aviation safety. Noting the corrective actions taken by various parties, the investigation team has made one additional safety recommendation, i.e. the ICAO should specify the requirements of installing a device in equipment used in refueling civil aircraft. This device should be able to automatically alert the equipment operator and stop the refueling process when the differential pressure across the equipment filtration system is outside the equipment's designed value or range.
"The ICAO has taken note of the recommendation. The CAD will continue to follow up with the ICAO after the release of the final report," the spokesperson said.
Throughout the accident investigation, all parties concerned were given ample opportunity to comment on the report.
The report is available for downloading from the website of the CAD (www.cad.gov.hk/english/reports.html).
Ends/Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:01
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