British Airways (BA) has taken steps to mitigate human factors–related risk in its line maintenance operations by applying lessons learned during the investigation of a 2013 accident involving one of its Airbus A319s.
The airplane departed London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on May 24, 2013, with both sets of fan cowling doors on its two International Aero Engines V2500 engines unlatched, the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in its final report on the accident.1 The doors detached during takeoff, and the flight crew returned to LHR, shutting down the right engine to extinguish a fire fed by leaking fuel along the way. The aircraft arrived safely, with all 75 passengers and five crewmembers evacuating the aircraft after it came to a stop on the runway.
AAIB’s probe pinpointed two primary causal factors in the accident: Two technicians who serviced the airplane “did not comply with the applicable AMM [aircraft maintenance manual] procedures,” and pre-fli…
