Swiss-Airbus A220 engine shows “unknown fault pattern”
Keystone-SDA
After the emergency landing of a Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plane in Graz and the subsequent death of a crew member, inquiries have detected a “previously unknown fault pattern” in an engine, SWISS has written in an internal statement.
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A SWISS spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the memo to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. The statement indicated that the engine had “suddenly and unexpectedly failed”.
According to the spokeswoman, the affected engine will be dismantled in Graz and taken to the US. There it will be examined by its manufacturer Pratt & Whitney together with the authorities. “This may take some time,” the SWISS spokeswoman said.
It is the most serious incident in the airline’s 23-year history. On Monday, December 23, an Airbus A220 with 74 passengers and five crew members on board was on its way from Bucharest to Zurich when it had to make an emergency landing in Graz due to engine problems and smoke in the cabin.
One member pf the crew was seriously injured and later died in hospital.
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