Easyjet A319 at London on Oct 1st 2016, fumes and vibrations
Last Update: February 9, 2017 / 15:49:27 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 1, 2016
Classification
Incident
Airline
Easyjet
Flight number
U2-8996
Departure
La Rochelle, France
Destination
London Gatwick, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-EZFX
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
The UK AAIB rated the occurrence a serious incident and opened an investigation.
On Nov 5th 2016 The Aviation Herald received information that maintenance identified a faulty avionics fan as source of the smoke and vibrations, the fan was replaced.
On Feb 9th 2017 the AAIB released their bulletin reporting:
G-EZFX was operating a flight from La Rochelle Airport in France to London Gatwick Airport with 105 passengers and six crew on board. During the climb after takeoff the crew noticed some vibration which ceased after a few minutes. The vibration returned intermittently during the flight until, while the aircraft was holding at FL120 before making an approach to Gatwick Airport, it occurred accompanied by a strong burning smell (which went away quickly). The vibration and smell occurred again a few minutes later, so the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared a PAN and asked for an immediate landing. The smell ceased during the approach.
The operator reported that the vibration and smell were caused by a bearing failure in the avionics bay extractor fan. A program to overhaul the fans was already in place for units with more than 20,000 flying hours but the unit in this incident failed after 19,363 hours.
The operator also reported that the manufacturers of the fan and the aircraft were developing a new fan design which would include a vibration monitoring unit to shut down the fan prior to bearing failure.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 1, 2016
Classification
Incident
Airline
Easyjet
Flight number
U2-8996
Departure
La Rochelle, France
Destination
London Gatwick, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-EZFX
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Easyjet A320 near Munich on Jun 17th 2025, smell of smoke in cabin
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZUA performing flight U2-8239 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Santorini (Greece), was enroute at FL350…
Easyjet A320 near Izmir on Jun 14th 2025, smell of smoke in cabin
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZGX performing flight U2-2902 from Paphos (Cyprus) to Bristol,EN (UK) with 169 passengers and 6 crew, was…
Easyjet A20N near Belfast on Apr 20th 2025, loss of cabin pressure
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200N, registration G-UZEF performing flight U2-3011 from Belfast Aldergrove,NI (UK) to Palma Mallorca,SP (Spain), was enroute…
Easyjet A320 at Corfu on Jun 19th 2024, rejected balked landing
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZGY performing flight U2-8213 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Corfu (Greece) with 174 passengers and 6…
Easyjet A320 at Toulouse on Jul 30th 2023, takeoff from wrong intersection
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EJCI performing flight U2-8414 from Toulouse (France) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 176 passengers and 6…
Newest articles
SriLankan A320 over Indonesia on Jun 5th 2025, anti ice failure, nav disagree, unreliable airspeed, alternate law, AP and ATHR off
A SriLankan Airbus A320-200, registration 4R-ABM performing flight UL-306 from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Singapore (Singapore), was enroute and climbing…
Olympic AT72 at Naxos on Jun 7th 2025, engine shut down in flight
An Olympic Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration SX-OBP performing flight OA-17 from Naxos to Athens (Greece) with 45 passengers…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways