Cathay Pacific Flight 780 was a flight from Surabaya Juanda International Airport in Indonesia to Hong Kong International Airport on 13 April 2010. There were 309 passengers and a crew of 13 on board. As Flight 780 neared Hong Kong the crew were unable to change the thrust output of the engines. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-342, landed at almost twice the speed of a normal landing, suffering minor damage. The 57 passengers who sustained injuries were hurt in the ensuing slide evacuation; one of them received serious injuries. The cause of the accident was contamination of the fuel uploaded at Surabaya, which gradually damaged both engines of the aircraft. 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. 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.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was an Airbus A330-342, registration B-HLL, fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. It first flew on 4 November 1998 and was delivered to Cathay Pacific three weeks later on 25 November 1998. By 23 April 2012, this plane is in service with Cathay Dragon.
Accident
Cathay Pacific Flight 780 departed from stand 8 at Juanda International Airport. It took off from runway 28 at 08:24 local time. During the climb, both engines experienced small engine pressure ratio (EPR
Investigations
Investigators from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile of France, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom formed a team to investigate the accident. The National Transportation Safety Committee of Indonesia and the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States of America were also involved in the investigation, as were representatives of Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Cathay Pacific. Data from the digital flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, and quick access recorder were downloaded for analysis. The investigation concentrated on the engines, the engine control systems, and the fuel system. Analysis of the engines found that their fuel systems were contaminated with spherical particles. The Hong KongCivil Aviation Department Accident Investigation Division concluded that the accident was caused by these spherical particles. The contaminated fuel, which contained particles of superabsorbent polymer introduced into the fuel system when the aircraft was fueled at Surabaya, subsequently caused the loss of thrust control on both engines of the aircraft during approach to Hong Kong. The SAP particles, a component of the filter monitors installed in a fueling dispenser at Juanda Airport, had caused the main metering valves of the fuel metering unit to seize. The valves were found to be stuck in positions corresponding to the recorded thrust output of each engine as it approached Hong Kong. Other engine components were found to be contaminated with the particles, while the variable stator vane controller of engine No. 2 was found to be seized. The entire fuel system, including the fuel tanks, was found to be contaminated with spherical particles. Fuel samples collected at Juanda International Airport were contaminated with the particles. The fuel supply pipeline system used to refuel aircraft at Juanda International Airport had been recently extended during construction of new aircraft parking bays. The investigation discovered that not all procedures had been followed when the system was brought back into service.
Dramatization
The incident was featured in the first episode of Season 19 for the Canadian TV series Mayday labeled "Deadly Descent".
