LATAM Argentina A320 at Buenos Aires on Mar 9th 2018, smoke in cockpit
Last Update: October 1, 2019 / 16:35:44 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 9, 2018
Classification
Incident
Cause
Smoke in cockpit
Airline
Latam Argentina
Flight number
4M-7732
Departure
Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina
Destination
El Calafate, Argentina
Aircraft Registration
LV-BFO
Aircraft Type
Airbus A320
ICAO Type Designator
A320
Argentina's JIAAC (Accident Investigation) rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation. The damage to the aircraft is being determined.
The airline reported there had been a small amount of smoke in the back of the cabin.
ACARS messages received from the aircraft include "VENT BLOWER FAULT" and "VENT EXTRACT FAULT" indications, both indications related to avionics cooling.
On Oct 1st 2019 Argentina's JIAAC released their final report in Spanish only (Editorial note: to serve the purpose of global prevention of the repeat of causes leading to an occurrence an additional timely release of all occurrence reports in the only world spanning aviation language English would be necessary, a Spanish only release does not achieve this purpose as set by ICAO annex 13 and just forces many aviators to waste much more time and effort each in trying to understand the circumstances leading to the occurrence. Aviators operating internationally are required to read/speak English besides their local language, investigators need to be able to read/write/speak English to communicate with their counterparts all around the globe). The report concludes the probable causes of the incident were:
Emanation of vapors as result of volatilization of paint particles caused by high surface temperatures of the primary heat exchanger.
The presence/perceiption of steam and smell in the cabin occurred as a consequence of movement of air masses through the ducts of the cabin ventilation system associated with the primary heat exchanger.
The JIAAC reported that a visual inspection of the aircraft's forward and aft cargo bays, landing gear wheel wells, air conditioning system #1 and #2 compartments, the APU and both engines did not reveal any evidence of losses, spills, evidence of fire or smoke or other failures that could lead to smoke or fumes. Samples were taken from all cabin air conditioning outlets and were sent to the Criminal and Forensic Laboratory of the National Gendarmerie. According to the lab results the particles recovered from the airconditioning outlets were composed of carbonated compounds present in paints, solvents and hydrocarbon-based lubricants.
Cabin crew reported they first perceived a burning odour followed by respiratory irritation, burning eyes and presence of ISO 12 vapors in the cabin, the crew however was unable to determine the source of the vapors. When the odour and vapors intensified, the flight crew decided to work the "remove of smoke/fumes" checklist and divert to the nearest airport.
According to the flight data recorder no smoke or fire sensor activated. Tests of the engines and air conditioning systems at various temperatures, times did not result in another odour or vapor being released.
A check of the technical documentation of the aircraft revealed, the primary heat exchanger had been replaced on Mar 8th 2018 with an exchanger, that had been received on Mar 5th 2018 from a manufacturer overhaul. When overhauling such equipment a coat of paint is applied according to component maintenance manual, which also contains warnings of areas where the paint is not to be applied to. The heat exchanger is exposed to 200 degrees C according to the technical specification. This temperature is sufficient to burn away any remaining paint on surfaces it should not have been applied to. As result vapors resulting from this heating could enter the air conditioning systems and the cabin.
The JIAAC analysed that post flight tests did not reproduce the vapors and odour, all systems were functioning normally. It appears that there were no paint residues in areas of the primary heat exchanger anymore where such protective paint should not have been applied to due to reaching high operating temperatures.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 9, 2018
Classification
Incident
Cause
Smoke in cockpit
Airline
Latam Argentina
Flight number
4M-7732
Departure
Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina
Destination
El Calafate, Argentina
Aircraft Registration
LV-BFO
Aircraft Type
Airbus A320
ICAO Type Designator
A320
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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