Cathay Pacific Flight 780

Cathay Pacific Flight 780 was an international passenger flight operated by Cathay Pacific which made a high speed landing on 13 April 2010 due to engine failure, while flying from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia to Hong Kong International Airport. As the Airbus A330 neared Hong Kong, the flight crew were unable to change the thrust output of engine one, forcing a landing at almost twice the normal speed. The aircraft sustained minor damages and all 322 people on board survived, with 57 passengers and six crew members injured in the ensuing evacuation, including one severe injury. The incident was caused by contamination of the fuel taken on board at Surabaya, which gradually damaged both of the aircraft's engines.

The flight's two Australian pilots, Captain Malcolm Waters and First Officer David Hayhoe, who safely landed the aircraft despite the extraordinary challenge, have been compared to pilots Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles of US Airways Flight 1549 the previous year (January 2009). In March 2014, the two Flight 780 pilots were awarded the Polaris Award by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations for their heroism and airmanship.

Accident

Cathay Pacific Flight 780 departed from stand 8 at Juanda International Airport in Indonesia. It took off from runway 28 at 08:24 local time (01:24 UTC). During the climb, both engines experienced small engine pressure ratio fluctuations, with the No. 2 engine fluctuating over a greater range than the No. 1 engine. Just over half an hour after takeoff, cruising at flight level 390 (about 39000 ft above sea level), the electronic centralized aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system displayed an "ENG 2 CTL SYS FAULT" error message. The crew contacted maintenance control to discuss the fluctuations. As other engine operating parameters on both engines were normal, continuing the flight was determined to be safe.

Almost two hours after departure, at 03:16 UTC, the "ENG 2 CTL SYS FAULT" ECAM message reappeared. The crew contacted maintenance control to review the issue. As all other engine parameters remained normal, continuing on to Hong Kong was again deemed safe.

After another two hours elapsed, the aircraft was on descent to Hong Kong when, at 05:19 UTC, about 203 km southeast of Hong Kong International Airport, the aircraft's ECAM displayed "ENG 1 CTL SYS FAULT" and "ENG 2 STALL" within a short period. The second message signified an engine compressor stall, a potentially serious engine problem. The flight crew accordingly carried out the necessary ECAM actions with No. 2 engine's thrust lever moved to the idle (or minimum-thrust setting) position. The crew set No. 1 engine to maximum continuous thrust to compensate for the low thrust of No. 2 engine. Following these actions, the crew declared a "pan-pan" with Hong Kong air traffic control, requesting the shortest possible route to the airport and priority landing.

A few minutes later, about 83 km southeast of Hong Kong International Airport, the aircraft was in a descent and approaching an altitude of 8000 ft when an "ENG 1 STALL" ECAM message appeared. The flight crew carried out the actions for a No. 1 engine compressor stall and declared a "mayday". The captain then moved the thrust levers to test engine responses. No. 1 engine's rotational fan speed slowly spooled up to about 74% N1, while No. 2 engine remained running below idle speed, about 17% N1, the former providing sufficient thrust to level off at 5,500 ft and reach Hong Kong. As the flight approached the airport, the crew found that movement of the thrust levers failed to reduce thrust below 74% N1 on No. 1 engine.

At 13:43 hours local time (05:43 UTC), 11 minutes after declaring the "mayday", the aircraft touched down hard on runway 07L (length 3800 m; 12,470 ft) at a groundspeed of 426 km/h, 176 km/h over the normal touchdown speed for an A330 and above both the maximum allowable flap-extension speed and the speed rating of the tyres. The plane bounced and briefly became airborne again until it slammed down hard while banking left, causing the left engine to scrape against the runway surface. Both wing spoilers deployed automatically. Only the No. 1 engine's thrust reverser deployed and activated with the right engine's thrust reverser made unresponsive by a technical snag, forcing the crew to bring the aircraft to a stop using manual braking. The No. 1 engine remained between 70% and 80% N1 until the crew shut down both engines upon coming to a stop.

Five of the aircraft's eight main wheel tires deflated. Airport firefighters reported that smoke and flames were emanating from the landing gear. The captain ordered an emergency evacuation, during which 57 passengers were injured, of whom 10 were transported to hospital.