Investigation: Singapore Air A330 lost engine power mid-flight

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Singapore Airlines says it has launched an investigation after one of its widebody jets temporarily lost power to both its engines on a flight from Singapore to Shanghai. The flight's pilots were able to regain altitude after reportedly descending 13,000 feet and the flight continued safely on to its final destination.

The incident involving one of the carrier's Airbus A330-300 jets occurred Saturday as the plane flew into stormy weather at an altitude of 39,000 feet. The plane was carrying 182 passengers and 12 crew members, the airline said in a statement released Wednesday.

"Both engines experienced a temporary loss of power and the pilots followed operational procedures to restore normal operation of the engines," Singapore Airlines says in a statement quoted by Reuters.

"The airline added that one engine returned to normal operations almost immediately," Reuters adds in its report.

The Wall Street Journal reports the A330-300 "descended 13,000 feet, according to flight-data tracking website Flightradar24. Singapore Airlines didn't confirm the extent of the loss of altitude but stressed that the descent wasn't uncontrolled."

"It is uncommon to have power loss in both engines. You don't hear about it too often," Greg Waldron, the Asia managing editor of industry publication Flightglobal, says to the Journal. "Fortunately, pilots are trained to deal with it in a routine manner and this incident only highlights the importance of pilot training."

Citing data from FlightRadar24.com and a report in The Aviation Herald, The Associated Press says the flight was cruising at 39,000 feet and was about 160 miles from Hong Kong at the time of the incident.

Singapore's A330-300s are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772 engines. Singapore Airlines tells AP no "anomalies" were found with either of the engines on the Singapore-Shanghai flight. Still, the airline says it is now reviewing the incident with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

The Aviation Herald says the plane returned to Singapore later Saturday on a regularly scheduled flight following a two-hour delay in Shanghai.

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce tells Reuters it has offered "support and technical assistance" to Singapore Airlines. Rolls-Royce notes that its Trent 700 engine is its best-selling model, adding to Reuters that it "has an exceptional record of safety and reliability, established over 20 years."

A spokesman for Singapore's air safety regulator tells the South China Morning Post of Hong Kong that the agency is looking into the matter.

"The Air Accident Investigation Bureau of Singapore (AAIB) was informed of an engine incident on a Singapore Airlines aircraft while enroute from Singapore to Shanghai on 23 May 15," the spokesman says in a statement to the Morning Post. "As the occurrence happened in international waters, the AAIB will be the authority for investigating this incident. The AAIB is in the midst of gathering information and flight data from the operator."