The Wall Street Journal-20080202-Fuel Problem Suspected In U-K- Crash Landing

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Fuel Problem Suspected In U.K. Crash Landing

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Investigators probing the nonfatal crash landing of a British Airways PLC jetliner near London two weeks ago suspect the incident was caused by fuel-system contamination, perhaps from small particles or ice.

Such a finding could call into question longstanding aviation- industry assumptions and safeguards regarding jetliner fuel systems and internal icing hazards on some long-distance flights, particularly in extreme cold.

The seven-year-old Boeing 777 en route from Beijing bellied into the grass hundreds of yards short of a runway at Heathrow International Airport in good weather, destroying the plane but resulting in no fatalities and 13 injuries among 152 on board. The accident raised concern within the aviation world because the crew apparently received no warnings of the impending crisis. Investigators have uncovered no obvious computer malfunctions or problems with the engines, which were manufactured by Rolls-Royce PLC.

Investigators are still pursuing other angles in determining why both of the plane's engines suddenly stopped providing adequate power. But they increasingly suspect that some blockage interrupted fuel flow during the flight's final two miles, according to U.S.-government documents and people close to the investigation.

The probe is concentrating on "small-sized contamination building up in the engine fuel systems" or "ice in the fuel somehow limiting the fuel flow to the engines," according to a memo distributed to high- level regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration last week.

The crash raises questions about fuel procedures when operating long-distance, polar flights. If it turns out that enough ice or some other contaminants blocked the fuel system, the industry may be forced to re-evaluate safeguards and routine operational procedures. Tests of fuel recovered from the jet, as well as samples from other planes that departed China around the same period, showed the fuel met specifications. Spokesmen for Chicago-based Boeing Co., Rolls-Royce and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch declined to comment. Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, said: "I'll refrain from speculation" but added that he "would have no hesitation flying on a 777."

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Daniel Michaels contributed to this article.