Ryanair 737 Catches Fire During Takeoff

Passengers were evacuated from a Ryanair flight on Thursday morning after the aircraft caught fire shortly after commencing its takeoff roll.

Background

On October 3rd, Ryanair Flight FR8826 was preparing for a regular domestic service from Brindisi, Italy (BDS) to Turin (TRN). There were 184 passengers and crew onboard.

The aircraft was an 8.6-year-old Boeing 737-800 registered 9H-QCB. This plane was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air despite being painted in the full Ryanair livery.

Reportedly, the aircraft began its takeoff roll on Brindisi Airport's Runway 31. As the pilots increased the thrust to the engines and the plane began accelerating, the number two engine suffered a surge, also known as a compressor stall.

A compressor stall occurs when there is a disruption of airflow in the compressor of a gas turbine. The complete disruption of the airflow through the compressor is deemed a compressor surge.

The pilots immediately aborted the takeoff roll and stopped the 737. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated via slides.

This incident came just two days after another Ryanair incident in Italy. In that case, a Ryanair 737 suffered a tire blowout during landing at Milan's Bergamo Airport (BGY), leading to the airport's temporary closure.

Similarly following the incident in Brindisi, the airport was temporarily closed as crews worked to get the aircraft off the runway. 

Despite having two runways, Runway 13/31 at Brindisi is the only one long enough to have regular usage by larger commercial aircraft measuring 10,000 feet in length. The other runway, 05/23, is just short of 5,900 feet long.

Aftermath

Ryanair released a statement to CNN regarding the incident:

"Flight FR8826 from Brindisi to Turin (3rd Oct) was delayed this morning after cabin crew observed fumes on the outside of the aircraft. Passengers were disembarked without incident and returned to the terminal by bus."

Brindisi Airport reopened about three hours after the incident. The aircraft due to operate FR8826 was later replaced to a Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 registered 9H-VUW.

The flight departed five hours after its scheduled 8:20 am slot at 1:40 pm local time. After a roughly 90-minute flight, it arrived in Turin just after 3:00 pm. The incident aircraft, 9H-QCB, is still in Brindisi receiving repairs.

Despite being unrelated to each other, the close nature of both Ryanair incidents have prompted Italian lawmakers to question Ryanair's safety record.

The European low-cost giant is one of the largest budget airlines in the world with over 500 aircraft. Not only this but it is the largest airline in Italy as well. 

Despite this, it has suffered a string of incidents in recent months involving flights not just within Italy but Europe as a whole.

Andrea Caroppo, who is also the Vice President of the Italian Transport Commission's lower house of parliament, released a statement with other members. It included the following:

"We have therefore asked for an urgent hearing in the Transport Commission at the Chamber of ENAC leaders with a focus on the safety of Ryanair flights, which - it is worth remembering - is the leading carrier in Italy for passenger traffic."

Italy's National Civil Aviation Authority, abbreviated ENAC, is further investigating both incidents.