- Caribbean Airlines aircraft suffers engine failure en route to Trinidad
A Caribbean Airlines ATR 72-600 flying from Tobago to Trinidad suffered an engine failure on Monday night while operating its final flight for the day. The aircraft, registered as 9Y-TTC and operating as BW1541, was at the time over the Caroni Bird Sanctuary on short final when the #1 engine failed, prompting the pilot to declare “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Caribbean Airlines engine failure coming in for landing. Caribbean Airlines 1541” to air traffic control.
In a video posted to social media, the cabin crew could be heard instructing passengers to “BRACE, BRACE, BRACE” as the aircraft prepared to land. It landed safely at 10:05 pm. The aircraft has since been removed from service for inspection.
In a release issued just after 11 pm, Caribbean Airlines confirmed BW1541 “declared an emergency landing” and arrived safely at POS. The airline said, “All the required operational procedures are being followed regarding passengers and crew.” 68 passengers and 4 crew members were onboard.
A turboprop engine failure, while relatively rare, can happen for any number of reasons – from mechanical issues such as an oil leak to external factors like a bird strike. The ATR 72-600 can fly with only one engine operational. When an engine failure occurs, the aircraft’s power levels drop rapidly, and the master warning lights up accompanied by a warning sound. Depending on which engine has failed, the aircraft will begin to yaw (move side to side) as the operating engine begins to push the plane.
Pilots are regularly trained and tested for emergencies like these. While issues onboard are usually troubleshooted by way of print or digital checklists, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for this type of emergency requires the use of memory items. Once the engine failure is confirmed, pilots work their way through a series of steps (from memory) to keep the aircraft stable and under control. During the critical phases of flight – landing and takeoff – pilots must complete the memory items as soon as possible as this type of emergency is time-sensitive.
This latest incident comes almost one week after another ATR 72-600, 9Y-TTA, lost a nose wheel while operating a flight between Barbados and Tobago. The wheel has since been recovered.