US and Brazilian authorities are investigating a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 that suffered a fiery engine failure while taking off from Sao Paulo Guarulhos airport on 29 March.
Few details about the event are available but video of the incident shows a burst of fire and sustained flames coming from the jet’s left-side Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW4000 turbofan.
The aircraft, registration N813NW, was operating Delta flight 104 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta with 272 passengers and 14 crew members aboard.
Video of the incident shows the engine erupt in flames just moments after the aircraft gets airborne. Flames continue for more than a minute, until the end of the video.
The pilots shut down the turbofan and returned to Sao Paulo, where the aircraft landed safely and was met by firefighting crews, Delta says.
Brazil’s aviation accident investigation agency Cenipa, which is part of the Brazilian air force, is investigating the incident, it confirms. The US Federal Aviation Administration also says it is investigating.
The incident disrupted operations at Guarulhos airport, prompting airlines to cancel 28 flights and leading to 14 flight diversions.
“We are aware of the event and are actively supporting our customer,” P&W says.
