Bits of metallic debris dot the right engine’s tailpipe.
A Jetstar Airways Airbus A320 was about to begin its takeoff run when the pilots heard a popping sound and the airplane crossed to the right of the runway centerline even as the first officer applied full left rudder. The flight crew stopped the A320 on the runway and taxied to the gate, where all passengers and crewmembers disembarked.
The 171 passengers and crewmembers were uninjured, and, despite reports that flames had been seen emanating from the right engine, airplane damage was minor, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said in its final report on the Oct. 23, 2020, incident at Brisbane Airport in Queensland.
The report said that ATSB investigators found small balls of metallic debris in the right engine’s tailpipe and the removable tip of a screwdriver in the engine’s combustion section. Recorded…
