 The pilot had reported feeling vibrations from the engine |
Mechanical failure was to blame for a fire in an aircraft engine at Jersey Airport, according to a report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch. The Channel Express freight aircraft was on a routine flight to Bournemouth in June 2001 when its left hand engine caught fire soon after take off.
The crew of three managed to put the fire out quickly and the plane landed at Jersey Airport with one engine.
Parts of the aircraft were found on farmland in St Ouen's Bay.
Old design
The engine of the plane had been checked by an engineer earlier that day after one of the pilots reported feeling vibrations from the aircraft which had already been used several times that day.
The report published by the Air Accident Investigation Branch says the fire was caused by part of the engine's turbine breaking off and cutting a fuel line.
The inquiry team revealed the part that failed was an old design which had done so several times in other engines.
A similar fault developed on an aircraft at Stansted Airport in 1988.
The Civil Aviation Authority has accepted the report's findings and tightened up checks on this particular type of engine.
One-Minute World News 
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