British Airtours Flight 28M
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 22, 1985 |
| Type | Engine fire on ground |
| Site | Manchester, England |
| Fatalities | 55 |
| Injuries | 15 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-236 |
| Operator | British Airtours |
| Tail number | G-BGJL |
| Passengers | 131 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Survivors | 82 |
On August 22, 1985, Flight 28M, a British Airtours Boeing 737-236 took off from Manchester International Airport's Runway 24 in Manchester in England, on an international passenger flight to Kerkira Airport on the Greek island of Corfu. The aircraft, previously named "Goldfinch" but at the time of the accident named "River Orrin", had 131 passengers and 6 crew on the manifest.
During the takeoff phase, the captain heard a loud thump coming from under the plane. Thinking a tyre had burst, he abandoned takeoff and activated the thrust reversers. Taking care in applying gradual braking, the plane was steered onto a taxiway off to the right of the runway and into a slight prevailing wind. As the Boeing 737 stopped, the crew discovered that the No. 1 engine was on fire.
By this time, fuel spilling from the port wing combined with the light wind had fanned the fire into a giant blaze. Fire quickly found its way into the cabin, creating toxic smoke and causing the deaths of 53 passengers and two crew, 48 of them from smoke inhalation. 78 passengers and 4 crew escaped, 15 were seriously injured.
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[edit] Causes
The subsequent investigation into the incident revealed that the No. 9 combustor can on the port engine had developed a crack due to thermal fatigue. This allowed the can to move out of alignment and instead of directing the hot combustion gases out the back of the engine, they now hit the combustion chamber casing. Eventually this led to a catastrophic explosive failure of the casing.
Following on from this, the forward section of the can was ejected from the engine, fracturing the fuel tank access panel and allowing jet fuel to flow out onto the hot engine. Combined with the fuel being fed to the now damaged engine, this ultimately sparked the blaze that engulfed the aircraft.
Records showed the engine in question, a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15, had experienced previous cracks to the No. 9 combustor can and were repaired. However, the AAIB found these repairs by welding were unsatisfactory in ensuring safe operation. Therefore, they likely contributed to the final severe cracking which led to the accident.
Unfortunately, the actions of the crew also happened to make matters worse. Thinking a tyre had burst, the slow braking of the aircraft allowed the fire to spread and robbed precious evacuation time. Additionally, the use of thrust reversers did not improve the situation and helped fan the already raging inferno.
[edit] Impact on air safety
The incident raised serious air safety concerns over survivability and the standard aircraft emergency evacuation time of ninety seconds — the last passenger was not able to escape from Flight 28M for more than five minutes. Demands were made for better floor-level lighting and improved seating arrangements for easier escape. It also resulted in widespread calls for the introduction of smoke hoods to enable passengers to survive long enough to reach the exits; only 6 out of the 55 people died because of heat. This idea was rejected as impractical by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. A subsequent idea of installing cabin misting systems (similar to a sprinkler system) was also rejected as being too expensive.
