Delta 55 Airturnback and Evac Lagos

[Airbubba]

Another U.S. carrier widebody engine problem on Monday.

This one looks on the ADS-B plots like an engine failure on takeoff with a quick trip around the pattern for an overweight landing.

5 injured after Delta flight from Nigeria to Atlanta forced to turn back due to engine issues

Passengers had to use the emergency slides to exit the plane onto the runway.

Author: Adrianne Haney

Published: 7:11 PM EST February 13, 2018

ATLANTA — Delta officials confirm an Atlanta-bound flight from Lagos, Nigeria was forced to turn back Tuesday after the plane experienced engine issues.

According to Delta, flight 55 from Murtala Mohammed Internationl Airport in Lagos took off from the airport around 10:50 p.m. Nigeria time. Flight tracking website FlightAware indicates the flight had only been in the air for a little less than an hour and a half, and had only traveled 29 of its roughly 5,800-mile journey, before one of the A330-200's two engines reported issues.

Delta said the flight landed safely shortly after midnight, but passengers had to use the emergency slides to exit the plane onto the runway. Airport fire crews met the plane on arrival, and passengers were bussed back to the terminal.

At this time, Delta said it is aware of five customers who reported non-critical injuries during the evacuation. The company said it's now focused on trying to find overnight hotel accommodations for customers, and will likely rebook them on a Wednesday afternoon flight.

"The safety of Delta’s customers and crew members is always our top priority," the company concluded.

11alive.com | 5 injured after Delta flight from Nigeria to Atlanta forced to turn back due to engine issues (http://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/5-injured-after-delta-flight-from-nigeria-to-atlanta-forced-to-turn-back-due-to-engine-issues/85-518436155)

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/dl55#106bffb2

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL55/history/20180213/2125Z/DNMM/DNMM

[Airbubba]

According to the tracking sites, the aircraft was N858NW, an A330-223 with Pratt 4168A engines.

[RAT 5]

"The safety of Delta’s customers is always our top priority," the company concluded.

Passengers had to use the emergency slides to exit the plane onto the runway.
Delta said it is aware of five customers who reported non-critical injuries during the evacuation.

I'd be curious to know the reason for the slide evacuation. Was the engine not secured? Not casting any aspersions, but we hear of pax injuries on nearly every evacuation. For the captains it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.
Another question, especially for the US pax, if they could show there was no need for an evacuation would the injured have a claim? It might sound frivolous, but a couple of weeks in a Lagos hospital, or other non-glamorous places, unnecessarily, and perhaps unpaid time off work back home, would not be taken lightly.

[DaveReidUK]

I'd be curious to know the reason for the slide evacuation. Was the engine not secured? Not casting any aspersions, but we hear of pax injuries on nearly every evacuation. For the captains it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.

I wondered that too.

But, given that the aircraft was back on the ground 8 minutes after getting airborne rather than holding to troubleshoot the problem, get the weight down, etc, I'd suggest that whatever had happened was considered potentially serious enough to warrant getting the pax off the aircraft as soon as possible.

No doubt more facts will emerge soon enough.

[Jet Jockey A4]

Overheated/brake fire?

Aircrew told by fire crew of wheel/brake fire? Then the decision to evacuate?

[number0009]

But, given that the aircraft was back on the ground 8 minutes after getting airborneEarlier info in post indicates in air 1 1/2 hours and only traveled 29 miles away from airport. They must have done some T/S and dumped fuel during their time aloft.

[Sailvi767]

They were in the air 8 minutes. There is no fuel dumping capability on Delta A330’s.

[Airbubba]

Here are a couple of local news accounts, the second article indicates an engine fire on the left side:

Panic at Lagos Airport as Delta Airlines develops problem mid air

Posted By: Kelvin Osa Okunbor On: February 14, 2018

There was anxiety in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos as a Delta Airlines Airbus 330- 200 with capacity for 244 passengers developed an engine problem about one hour after it took off from the airport.

During the emergency evacuation , five passengers were injured.

According to sources, the pilot sensing danger with the engine on fire initiated an emergency return to the Lagos Airport.

Airport sources hinted that the pilot had informed Aerodrome Fire and Rescue Safety Unit of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to prepare for emergency landing.

A source hinted that with sufficient mobilization from the relevant safety emergency agencies, a section of the runway was closed for the aircraft to land.

While, a section of the runway closed to traffic and the fire in the aircraft engine put out, some operations were disrupted.

According to investigations, with the incident occurring at a section of the runway, international departures were reorganized on request with contingency measures in place.

An official of FAAN confirmed that the Delta Airlines aircraft is still on ground.

She said the aircraft has been towed from the runway to pave way for other aircraft that are either landing on taking off.

An official of another aviation agency said though the fire has been put out, the aircraft is still lying near the runway.

Meanwhile, officials of Delta Airlines have confirmed that an Atlanta-bound flight from Lagos, Nigeria was forced to turn back Tuesday after the plane experienced engine issues.

According to the airline , flight 55 from Murtala Mohammed Internationl Airport in Lagos took off from the airport around 10:50 p.m. Nigeria time.

Flight tracking website FlightAware indicates the flight had only been in the air for a little less than an hour and a half [actually, Sailvi767 is right, it looks like about eight minutes on FR24 - Airbubba], and had only traveled 29 of its roughly 5,800-mile journey, before one of the A330-200’s two engines reported issues.

Delta said the flight landed safely shortly after midnight, but passengers had to use the emergency slides to exit the plane onto the runway.

Airport fire crews met the plane on arrival, and passengers were bussed back to the terminal.

At this time, Delta said it is aware of five customers who reported non-critical injuries during the evacuation.

The company said it’s now focused on trying to find overnight hotel accommodations for customers, and will likely rebook them on a Wednesday afternoon flight.

“The safety of Delta’s customers and crew members is always our top priority,” the company concluded.

In a statement issued in Lagos, the airline said :” Delta flight 55 from Lagos, Nigeria to Atlanta returned to Lagos International Airport Tuesday after an issue with one of the A330-200’s two engines.

http://thenationonlineng.net/panic-at-lagos-airport-as-delta-airlines-develops-problem-mid-air/

NCAA to investigate Delta’s plane emergency landing at Lagos airport

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2018 10:56 AMIN NEWS

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday said it would investigate the emergency landing by an Atlanta-bound Delta Air Lines flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Mr Sam Adurogboye, disclosed this to the Newsmen in Lagos. Adurogboye said that NCAA had been notified of the incident, stressing that it was the duty of regulatory authority to investigate such occurrences in order to ascertain what led to it.

He noted that the pilot acted in accordance with the Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs) by making an air return immediately the left engine of the aircraft caught fire in-flight. It will be recalled that the Delta Air Lines flight 55 which took off around 10:50 pm on Tuesday, made an air return less than an hour later due to an engine fault.

The pilot announced the evacuation of all the passengers on board within 90 seconds, after contacting the control towers when the left engine of the aircraft caught fire.

A statement signed by the United States carrier’s media consultant in Nigeria, Mr Tope Awe, on Wednesday, said the A330-200 had an issue with one of its two engines.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/ncaa-investigate-deltas-plane-emergency-landing-lagos-airport/

[galaxy flyer]

Has to be bad to return to Lagos! So much for happiness beginning at V1

[RAT 5]

There is considerable discrepancy in the reporting of where & when this engine problem occurred. Either it was 1 hour after takeoff or immediately. In the former case they might have over flown Accra to return to Lagos, a more friendly place, but perhaps the crew had never been there and knew Lagos. The reports above are seeming to suggest the fire occurred on the ground. There are too many unclear details. Someone needs to beat the drums louder & slower.

[Naijajet]

The Fire clearly seem to have started on take off roll. There were only airborne for less than 9 mins and didn't cross 2000ft,as per flightradar.

[RAT 5]

Thank you.

[Shytehawk]

Galaxy Flyer

You are so right. It must have been bad indeed. I was never so optimistic as to rejoice at V1 but waited till the North African coast northbound.

Well done to the crew.

[tdracer]

Not a good week in East Hartford. First the issues with the GTF and Airbus says they won't accept future engine deliveries until it gets sorted. Then the United PW4084 fan blade out, now and engine fire...

[DaveReidUK]

The Fire clearly seem to have started on take off roll.

Then the United PW4084 fan blade out, now an engine fire...

Lets not get too carried away until we ascertain the source for the assertion that there was an engine fire (as opposed to just a fire warning).

A warning, on its own, would be sufficient to have fire crews awaiting the landing and, as another poster has indicated, an almost immediate return to Lagos and an overweight landing could well have resulted in a brake fire or overheating.

Let's wait for some facts before pointing fingers as Messrs P and W.

[B2N2]

What?! In this day and age no picture of engines blowing up or hanging on by a thread?

[birmingham]

Nobody would undertake a return to LOS, overweight landing and evacuation lightly. If they hadn't believed there was a serious fire risk they would probably have burned fuel and gone to Accra.

[golfyankeesierra]

Wasn't there an issue with fuel in LOS recently?

[Naijajet]

with Nigerian Pax (even if Ghana visa free for Nigerians)? Lagos Definitely would be better

[Laarbruch72]

If they hadn't believed there was a serious fire risk they would probably have burned fuel and gone to Accra.

What's better about Accra and what reasons would make a Delta pilot avoid Lagos on an air turn back? Genuine question.

[birmingham]

Many carriers use Accra as an alternate. While the emergency response at LOS has improved greatly in recent years hospital facilities are generally better than in Lagos and some operators (not sure about Delta) have a larger maintenance set up.

[Laarbruch72]

I see. I did wonder if quality of response by the authority may be a factor.

Accra is of course also an alternate for Delta, but since the pax and crew have all started their journey that evening in Lagos and the emergency seems to have presented itself on climb out, a turn back was likely the overall simpler choice I'd have thought... I doubt the pilot started to think about / consult the company on the details of the quality of hospital facilities at that stage. Of course that might come in to play when there's a mid-flight diversion and there's time for the flight deck to talk with Ops on the available options.
I'm not sure that Delta's maintenance setup is any better at Accra than it is at Lagos, roughly similar I'd say.

[birmingham]

I agree. This was clearly a land immediately situation or irrespective of the airport they would have tried to avoid landing overweight

[filejw]

I retired a year ago but unless things have changed landing overweight at DAL did not have to be for a immediate return situation . I’ll have to ask one of my friends on the A330 what the situation really was in this instance.

[galaxy flyer]

Reports are the Nigerians impounded the plane and are advising the pilots not to leave Lagos. So, Nigerian.

[Airbubba]

Delta notified the NTSB before the AIB apparently. Now everybody is apologizing to the Nigerians for the perceived slight so they will release the crew. I'm sure there will be some candid comments about LOS on the two-hour CVR recording. ;)

Nigeria Queries Delta Air Lines Officials Over Emergency Landing In Lagos

Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has commenced an investigation into the aircraft incident involving Delta Air Lines in Nigeria.

BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK FEB 15, 2018

Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has commenced an investigation into the aircraft incident involving Delta Air Lines in Nigeria.

The bureau today interrogated the crew of the airline at its office at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

A source close to the agency told Sahara Reporters that the pilots and the cabin crew were among those interrogated today by the agency. This is as the airline has tendered apologies to the Federal Government over the late report of last Tuesday’s incident to the bureau in which one of its engines was engulfed in fire mid-air forcing the airline to return and land in Lagos on emergency.

AIB had told journalists in Lagos on Wednesday that the airline refused to report the incident to it as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommended practises and standards.

Rather, the airline went ahead to report the incident to the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States.

A statement by Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, the General Manager, Public Affairs of AIB today said that the airline had apologized to the country for its conduct.

The aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 aircraft had returned to MMIA barely thirty minutes in the air.

The Atlanta bound Delta Flight 55, which departed Lagos Tuesday night returned, following an issue with one of the Airbus 330-200's two engines.

Leading a team of the airline officials including the technical crew of the flight and the airlines Lagos Airport station Manager to the Ikeja head office of the bureau around 5pm local time, Miss Shannon Masters, Manager, Air Safety Investigation expressed the airline's regret for the oversight, stressing that it was not intentional.

Said Masters: “We sincerely apologized for the error and we promise to cooperate with AIB in the investigation of this occurrence.”

The Commissioner of AIB, Akin Olateru, while accepting Delta's apology said AIB had already commenced an investigation into the serious incident and welcome the airline's cooperation.

"We look forward to receiving cooperation from Delta Airlines as we work to determine the cause of this serious incident in the interest of safety.“

The Nigerian accident investigation body had frowned at the American carrier's failure to notify it of the serious incident involving its aircraft in line with Nigerian air safety regulations and international practice.

The airline was believed to have notified the United States NTSB of the occurrence immediately in line with the US laws.

Nigeria, as the state of occurrence under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 is responsible for investigating any aircraft occurrences within her airspace.

The state of registry of the aircraft and the airline may serve as observers.

Nigeria Queries Delta Air Lines Officials Over Emergency Landing In Lagos | Sahara Reporters (http://saharareporters.com/2018/02/15/nigeria-queries-delta-air-lines-officials-over-emergency-landing-lagos)

[Dufo]

I am sure that Nigerian AIB is concerned about Delta's proper and safe actions as these put local carriers in a bad light.

[A Squared]

Nobody would undertake a return to LOS, overweight landing and evacuation lightly. If they hadn't believed there was a serious fire risk they would probably have burned fuel and gone to Accra.


Under part 121, if you shut down an engine on a twin, you are explicitly required to land at the "nearest suitable airport". The FAA has, in fact, brought enforcement actions on precisely this point. I suppose there there's is some wiggle room in "suitable" but it would be a tough argument to make that Lagos is suitable for a scheduled detestation, but unsuitable for an emergency diversion, hence continuing on some 200 nm to Accra.

[Sailvi767]

Especially when you have a fire indication. An indication that was in fact valid.

[lomapaseo]

Could you provide the details, relative to cockpit instruments and resulting actions?

[Sailvi767]

Fire light at 1000 feet on departure. Fired first bottle light remained on. Fired second bottle light went out. Landed and requested inspection by fire crew. Told engine was on fire. Evacuated aircraft. Engine change was completed a day or two ago and aircraft was scheduled to ferry out. Not sure if the Nigerians released it yet. There may be some question about the fire description by CFR. The original warning was valid. Really great job by the crew getting the aircraft on the ground in 8 minutes.

[A Squared]

Sailvi767

That's true, the fact that it was a fire adds another level of immediacy. I'm just saying that even if it were not a fire, say a precautionary shutdown, you're still required to land at the nearest suitable airport, not continue on to a place that is more convenient for whatever reason.

[lomapaseo]

The fact that a fire light came on, not extinguished on first bottle but by second could possibly be due to

Limited fuel source in normally cold section area. The amount of visible charring in that case would confirm the degree.

I'll keep an eye open for anymore findings here

[DaveReidUK]

Engine change was completed a day or two ago and aircraft was scheduled to ferry out. Not sure if the Nigerians released it yet.

Arrived back at ATL yesterday evening.