The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #97636   Message #1928762
Posted By: The Shambles
06-Jan-07 - 08:27 PM
Thread Name: John Denver's birthday (Dec 31, 1943-Oct 12, 1997)
Subject: RE: John Denver's birthday (31 Dec 1943)
24 August 2001; Air Transat A330-200; near the Azores Islands, Portugal:

The aircraft was cruising across the Atlantic at 39,000 feet (11,900 meters) on a scheduled flight from Toronto to Lisbon when the right engine lost power. The left engine quit about 13 minutes later.

Both engines lost power as a result of fuel starvation. There had been a leak in the fuel system near the right engine, and an open cross feed valve allowed fuel to be lost from both wing tanks. The leak had been noticed by the crew about an hour prior to the engines shutting down, and the aircraft was already diverting toward Lajes military airfield in the Azores.

After the last engine lost power, the crew was able to glide for 20 minutes for about 115 miles (185 km) to Lajes airfield and avert a mid-ocean ditching. None of the 13 crew members or 293 passengers were seriously injured.

Although the landing gear was damaged during the high speed landing, the crew was able to stop the aircraft on the runway. All 13 crew members and 291 passengers survived, though some occupants were injured during a emergency evacuation. Transport Canada later fined the airline C$250,000 (about US$165,000) for maintenance infractions relating to an improper installation of a hydraulic pump on an engine of the incident aircraft.