Ryanair flight forced into emergency diversion after fault happens mid-air

A Ryanair flight from Venice to Manchester was forced to divert to London Stansted after a fuel leak appeared mid-air, with an AAIB report finding pilots were slow to respond

A Manchester-bound aircraft was compelled to execute an emergency diversion as fuel gushed from its engine due to a mid-flight malfunction, with reserves running perilously low.

The Air Accident Investigations Branch initiated an inquiry into the incident involving the Ryanair service on April 25 last year. Today’s report (April 9) revealed that the Venice to Manchester flight was forced to reroute to London Stansted at approximately 1pm.

The diversion followed a fuel leak, which also heightened the risk of fire during the aircraft’s landing. Emergency fire crews encircled the plane on the tarmac, discovering a leak originating from the starboard engine.

The journey was abruptly curtailed with an emergency reroute to London amid concerns about fuel escaping from the primary tank.

The AAIB investigation determined that the Boeing 737 Max pilots were tardy in recognising the potential fuel leak, and further elevated fire risks by deploying thrust reversers to decelerate during landing while failing to shut down the starboard engine, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Investigators concluded this action would have scattered leaking fuel across heated engine components, thereby amplifying the likelihood of a fire breaking out. The Ryanair service had been held up by an hour initially owing to a technical glitch in the airline’s computer systems.

According to the report, it was during this delay that the flight crew observed a fuel imbalance developing between the aircraft’s main tanks. A fuel balancing operation was subsequently undertaken, the report noted.

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After the aircraft had climbed to its cruising height of 38,000 feet, the captain detected the fuel imbalance returning, prompting continued cross-feeding of fuel to the affected starboard engine. Approximately 20 minutes on, the crew observed the right fuel tank was depleting once more, with an imbalance of roughly 100kg occurring every 10 minutes – suggesting a fuel leak.

The service, carrying 191 passengers, was subsequently rerouted to Stansted Airport. The report revealed that the flight crew opted against shutting down the compromised engine given favourable weather conditions and the diversion being approximately 20 minutes away.

The crew brought the aircraft down safely with no casualties or damage to the plane. The AAIB subsequently determined in their findings that had they adhered fully to the emergency protocol, it would have instructed them to shut down the engine to mitigate fire risk.

The report noted: “In completing fuel balancing from memory, the pilots did not consider the possibility of a fuel leak, delaying diagnosis of the problem.

Once the leak was confirmed, they decided not to fully complete the non-normal checklist, which directed them to shut down the affected engine.

“The subsequent use of thrust reverse on landing increased the potential risk of fire due to disbursement of fuel vapour around hot parts of the engine.”

In a statement Ryanair confirmed it had ‘fully participated’ in the investigation, adding that the report contained no safety recommendations directed at the airline.