VANCOUVER — A British Airways Boeing 747-400 with 315 passengers and crew on board experienced an engine “total system failure” while landing at Vancouver International Airport, Transport Canada files on aviation incidents in 2017 reveal.
The passenger jet was arriving from London, England, on Nov. 30 and preparing for landing when the crew informed air-traffic control of a “progressive loss of the number-one hydraulic system fluid.”
The crew executed procedures outlined in the Quick Reference Handbook for such situations and declared an emergency “when a total system failure occurred,” according to a summary of the incident.
The aircraft landed safely with firefighters on standby, and came to a stop on the runway for inspection. The jumbo jet was towed away and the runway reopened 34 minutes later.
“An initial inspection performed by engineering indicated a major hydraulic leak in the No. 1 engine pylon,” the summary report noted.
Jason Kobi, acting regional manager of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, explained from his Richmond office that the Boeing jet has four engines, each with a separate hydraulic system, to better ensure aircraft safety.
“Systems will fail,” Kobi said. “But, in this case, with four engines and four hydraulic systems, it really didn’t affect any of the aircraft’s major systems,” he said. Once landed, the nose-wheel steering became inoperable, forcing the plane to be towed off the runway, he said.
British Airways issued a short statement, reading: “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our main concern. The flight landed safely and was met by the emergency services as a precaution.”
