Virgin Australia A332 at Perth on Jun 9th 2014, fumes in cabin

Last Update: January 27, 2015 / 17:51:16 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Jun 9, 2014

Classification
Report

Airline
Virgin Australia

Flight number
VA-558

Departure
Perth, Australia

Destination
Sydney, Australia

Aircraft Registration
VH-XFB

Aircraft Type
Airbus A330-200

ICAO Type Designator
A332

A Virgin Australia Airbus A330-200, registration VH-XFB performing flight VA-558 from Perth,WA to Sydney,NS (Australia) with an unknown number of passengers and 15 crew, was accelerating for takeoff from Perth when cabin crew in the rear of the cabin noticed a burning odour starting when the engines accelerated for takeoff. Cabin crew initially dismissed the odour as relatively common. The purser assisted in locating the source of the odour, the fridges were turned off believing they might cause the odour, the odour however persisted. The purser eventually identified a vent at the aft cabin bulkhead. A number of cabin crew were negatively affected and were unable to continue their inflight duties, the captain considered to divert to Adelaide,SA (Australia) but decided to continue to Sydney reasoning that the affected cabin crew were administered oxygen and recovered. The aircraft landed in Sydney without further incident.

The captain made a log entry reporting acrid fumes at the rear aft galley after takeoff.

The ATSB released their brief final report releasing following safety message:

Fumes can originate from a wide range of sources. While some fumes may appear subtle and innocuous, they may be the first indication of a more serious problem. Furthermore, the effect of fumes on the human body is dependent on many variables, including the nature and intensity of the fumes, and the duration of exposure. This incident serves to highlight the importance of treating all fumes with suspicion, and implementing a cautious and conservative response, consistent with published guidance.

The ATSB reported that maintenance subsequently found a portion of insulation blankets attached to the rear pressure bulkhead had collapsed and came into contact with the APU bleed air duct where the duct passes through the aft pressure bulkhead. The investigation determined that the blankets had been improperly installed by the previous operator of the aircraft.

The ATSB wrote: "The insulation blanket is constructed of glass wool encased in a wrapping material. The wrapping was damaged and heat affected where the insulation blanket was in contact with the APU bleed air duct. Damage to the wrapping exposed the inner glass wool material, which also showed evidence of having been affected by heat where the material was in contact with the bleed air duct. Engineering staff determined that the insulation blanket in contact with the bleed air duct was the likely source of the fumes."
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Jun 9, 2014

Classification
Report

Airline
Virgin Australia

Flight number
VA-558

Departure
Perth, Australia

Destination
Sydney, Australia

Aircraft Registration
VH-XFB

Aircraft Type
Airbus A330-200

ICAO Type Designator
A332

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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