A320 cowlings burst open
 

just saw this in chinese media. Appeared to happen some days ago.
http://pic.carnoc.com/file/160223/16022311310260.jpg

video
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how can this be ?

Strange. Difficult to see but did they deploy the reverser with the fan cowls unlatched during the run?

Floop!

Just like that. Absolutely unbelievable, exept for the fact that it is all caught on camera.
Airbus surely has some explaining to do after this. It can't be the airspeed that caused this.

I witnessed a similar incident on another type many years ago. The cowlings were unlatched with the aircraft in a hangar and a fire bottle was discharged.

The cowlings behaved exactly as in the video.

Nothing to do with Airbus, poor maintenance practices, RTFM!

Can someone explain what's happening here please? All I see is that the cowling is closed, then open...

Check the video embedded in the article, the stills in the OP don't really tell the story.

That would be my guess.

Agreed. The beacon is flashing which suggests an engine run and you can see what looks like protection mats to the left of the nose gear being blown forward.

Daft buggers!

video appears to be a Dragonair Airbus A320. Video made in hong kong. CASL engineering seem to be the culprits in this case

Reverser functional check post maintenance, as said above RTFM & secure the cowls closed prior to engaging reverse thrust. :ugh:

Reverser functional check at the Gate with the airbridge attached? Madness :=

Hype
 

What a lot of uninformed hype this thread is, just like in the newspapers people who have no understanding of a subject ( let alone having ever shut an Airbus engine cowl ) and yet they tell us that Airbus have some explaining to do !

The only explaining that has to be done is why the cowl had not been secured post maintenance.............. Oh ! And why these clueless idiots are allowed on a professional aviation forum ?

EASA have proposed a modification:-

http://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/EASA_P...f/PAD_16-009_1

Looks like a design developed in a clean and isolated office...
Do we seriously expect mechanics to enter the cockpit to get/store a key before they do open and after they close a fan cowl? It won´t take a week until all mechanics have some sort of master key in their pocket in order to be able to finish their job before the end of their shift.

Perhaps, but the key stays in the latch until they are locked. It's not perfect but it is another check item. "Have I got my latch key? No. bugger, still in the unlocked cowling."

Settle A and C,

That's what everybody except Fox Nine has said/intimated...

Only one has suggested Airbus procedures responsible. :ouch:

I'm in total agreement with nightstop.

I can't speak for the A3230, but I know on the B737 it's certainly a big no-no to deploy reversers during an engine run.

And with the air bridge still attached, I'm surprised the cowlings are the only incident here!

I guess this this is one way to check the cowl latches without crawling around on one's knees. :)

EASA have proposed a modification:-

http://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/EASA_P...f/PAD_16-009_1




wouldn't it be easier to remove the git who left the flaps open...Do this a few times and the message sinks in.

BA A320s are being fitted with this. Five had the mod last month, and they are being fitted during hangar visits.

link to EASA is broken....

Over the years there have been a number of issues with proper cowling door latching. And procedural and sticker changes have been implemented.

Quite recently there was a more serious case in the UK which caused an in-flight engine fire (no casualties).

One of the basic things with the cowling latches is that they are at the bottom centerline. And you really have to go down on your knees to be able to see if they are properly latched and locked. Murphy ...

In the UK case maintenance had half-latched the doors because they were not finished yet. Were called away. Returned but picked the wrong plane. That plane had its cowling doors closed. So the assumed someone else had closed it. Leaving the doors half latched.

The pilot doing the preflight check had not noticed that the cowldoors were not properly closed. In the specific case there even was a gap visible while standing, because of the half-latched position.

Maintenance had not followed procedures. And yes these require putting and later retrieving (labels/flags) from the cockpit. If they had followed procedures, the pilots even when missing the opening on the walkaround, would have seen the labels in the cockpit.

---
When you are interested in the subject the UK case gives a nice overview:
AAR_1-2015_G-EUOE 24May2013 A319 Heathrow

Not true, so no Murphy. :suspect: Pics. Moreover, as you rightly point out from the lessons of the BA accident, in order to find out the cowlings are open, there are sufficient clues other than the latches themselves.

It will sink in with the individual responsible but not the next one, or the next or the next.

Sacking people who make mistakes just leads to more hidden errors and the same mistakes made again and again. :=

No you don't.

Stand at the side of the engine near the anti-icing ring, facing aft.

Put your nearest hand against the cowling to steady yourself and then crouch down into a wicket keeper's crouch. Place your other hand on the ground and then you can lean your head down enough to see the cowl latches. Your knees don't touch the ground at all. You can also check the engine drain mast for leaks while you are there.

All done, no excuses. (You might at worst get a wet hand*, but better than an in-flight turn-back, or worse) :ok:



*dry it on your hi-vis.

Didn't the BA report also say that beside the obvious latch below the cowling is weirdly aligned by design to indicate incorrect closure?