airBaltic Airbus A220 Diverted
airBaltic Airbus A220 Diverted

airBaltic Airbus A220 Diverted After Engine Failure

12th February, an airBaltic Airbus A220 ,with registration YL-AAU, diverted to Bordeaux Merignac Airport (BOD/LFBD) in France.

The aircraft was operating scheduled flight BT677 from Riga International Airport (RIX/EVRA) in Latvia to Malaga Costa Del Sol Airport (AGP/LEMG) in Spain.

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BT677 Flight History

The aircraft took off after a short delay at 07:43 and proceeded to Spain; however, an uncontained left engine failure happened during the flight.

From the data collected by ADS-B, the speed of the aircraft dropped right after reaching the altitude of 39,000 ft. We can assume that was when the engine failed.

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BT677 Flight Data

The pilot immediately shut down the left engine, started descending and turned back to a diversion airport in France.

This airBaltic Airbus A220 diverted safely. Currently, the aircraft is still in Bordeaux.

After landing, the picture of the failed engine appeared on social media.

YL-AAU was the 100th delivered Airbus A220 aircraft. It joined the airBaltic fleet last December and the accident has happened only 2 months after delivery.

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YL-AAU

The engine is a Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine; the safety history of this engine model is not ideal.

In October 2019, SWISS grounded their entire Airbus A220 fleet for engine inspections. For more details, check the post below:

Cover Image: airBaltic