Aircraft Industry: Airbus Blowout Traced to Rolls-Royce Engine Oil Fire

An engine explosion on an Airbus SAS A380 operated by Qantas Airways Ltd. was probably caused by an oil fire in one of the plane’s four Rolls-Royce Group Plc Trent 900 turbines, the European Aviation Safety Agency said.

The fire may have caused the disintegration of the engine’s intermediate pressure turbine disc, according to an emergency airworthiness directive published last night by EASA instructing operators to check for “abnormal oil leakage” in all Trent 900s.

“This condition, if not detected, could ultimately result in uncontained engine failure, potentially leading to damage to the aeroplane and hazards to persons or property on the ground,” EASA said in the directive. The discovery of any discrepancy should “prohibit further engine operation,” the regulator said.

For more: Airbus Blowout Traced to Rolls-Royce Engine Oil Fire - Bloomberg

Rolls-Royce says it made progress understanding cause of engine failure on Airbus 380

Rolls-Royce says it has made progress in understanding the cause of the engine failure that led Qantas to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s. "It is now clear this incident is specific to the Trent 900 engine," the firm said in a statement, referring to the model of engine in the Qantas A380s.

Rolls-Royce said a "series of checks and inspections" had been agreed with Airbus operators of the Trent 900 powered A380 and relevant authorities. "These are being progressively completed which is allowing a resumption of operation of aircraft in full compliance with all safety standards," the firm reported.

Rolls-Royce's statement follows the unexplained blast which sent parts of an engine raining down on an Indonesian island soon after flight QF32 took off from Singapore last week.

For more: Financial News | Orange UK