Fuel or control systems suspected as cause of engine failure (200 words)

Published: 2/1/2001

Early reports are suggesting that the reason for the failure of two engines on the An-70, which crashed at Omsk on the 27th January, may have been a malfunction in the engine's control system. According to the General Designer of Antonov, Petr Balabuyev, the cause of the crash may have been the Ufa produced device in the Ukrainian D-27 engines produced at Zaporizhzhya, although he did caveat his comments on Ukrainian TV by adding that a conclusion could only be fully reached when the aircraft and crash site had been checked .The results of the inspection are expected later this or early next week according to an Antonov's spokesman, who added that the fuel and control systems were naturally one the first areas investigators would examine, but at present no cause has been established The aircraft is to be repaired locally at Polyot in Omsk and a team from Kiev have already left to start repairs to the aircraft, with the expectation according to Dimitri Kiva Deputy Chief Designer of ANTK Antonov, that the aircraft will potentially be flying at MAKS in August, but will be repaired before the year end.

Article ID: 2335