The National: Etihad incident prompts engine fix on Airbus 330 and 340

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An Etihad flight incident in May, in which the European safety regulator says an engine temporarily “stagnated”, has spurred modifications to some Airbus aircraft to prevent the build up of ice. Airbus A330s and A340s using Rolls-Royce engines must replace oil-cooler devices with a newer design that is less susceptible to ice build-up during long-haul flights, particularly over water or polar regions, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said last week. Earlier, the European and US safety regulators issued similar directives for Boeing aircraft which use Rolls-Royce engines following incidents involving flights by British Airways and Delta Air Lines.

After investigating the Etihad incident, EASA said ice blocking was a possible cause of the incident. There have been two other recent incidents of ice build-up within fuel systems, both involving Boeing 777 aircraft.

Investigation revealed that, “under certain conditions, over a long period of low fuel temperatures, ice may accumulate in the main tanks and/or in the associated engine fuel feed systems of Aircraft using Rolls-Royce engines”.