Investigation number
199900733
Occurrence date
Location
56 km north of Rockhampton VOR
State
Queensland
Report release date
Report status
Final
Investigation type
Occurrence Investigation
Investigation status
Completed
Aviation occurrence category
Air/pressurisation
Occurrence class
Incident

About 45 minutes after departure, the crew of the Airbus A320 noticed a burning smell in the cockpit and cabin. This was followed by the activation of the `AIR ENG2 BLEED FAULT', `NUMBER 2 PACK FAULT', `LAVATORY SMOKE' and `AVIONICS SMOKE' warnings. At the same time, the Number 1 air conditioning pack began to cycle uncontrollably to an overtemperature of 250 degrees Celsius. The crew commenced an immediate descent to flight level 210 and notified air traffic control. The crew observed that, after selecting the `BLOWER' and `EXTRACT' fans, the avionics smoke warning cleared.

The `AIR BLEED 2' fault procedures were then carried out, but the crew was unable to stabilise the No. 1 air conditioning pack. After selecting the `CROSSBLEED' valve to `OFF', the No. 1 air conditioning pack stabilised and the outlet temperature reduced to acceptable values. The flight then proceeded using the No. 1 air conditioning pack. The investigation revealed severe cracking in the air bleed duct assembly aft of the pre-cooler at the Temperature Limitation Thermostat (TLT) sensor-mounting boss for the No. 2 engine. The TLT duct and sensor were replaced. The failure was the subject of a major defect report (MDR) submission to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer
Airbus
Model
A320-211
Registration
VH-HYC
Operation type
Air Transport High Capacity
Sector
Jet
Departure point
Townsville Qld
Destination
Brisbane Qld
Damage
Nil