The French authority is calling for public help to find and identify Pratt & Whitney PW1524 engine parts that disintegrated from Swiss International Air Lines’ A220 during a flight from Geneva to London.
Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation civile (BEA), the French authority that investigates aviation incidents, has issued a call for witnesses, asking for help to locate missing engine parts on August 20, 2019.
“The missing parts are from the first stage of low pressure compressor of the engine and are made of titanium,” a statement by the BEA outlines. “Each part should not exceed a length of 30cm”. The authority suspects that parts may have fallen in a wooded area in the East of France, near the towns of Perrigny-sur-Armancon and Cry.
On July 25, 2019, the Swiss flight with Airbus A220 was en route from Geneva to London, when left engine suffered a mechanical failure as it was passing over the East of France. The flight crew shut down the engine and landed the diverted flight at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG). The incident, described by the investigation authority as “serious”, occurred during the cruising phase.
Because Pratt & Whitney PW1524 engines are manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer, the investigation has been delegated to the U.S. investigative agency ‒ the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This is in accordance with international rules, the BEA notes.