More than five months after an uncontained engine failure which left it with significant fire damage, a patched-up British Airways Boeing 777-200ER has been flown from Las Vegas McCarran airport for further repairs.
Following the incident, which happened early during a take-off roll on 8 September 2015, BA made an assessment of whether the 16-year-old twinjet could be returned to service. This process was conducted with the involvement of Boeing engineers.
In December it was determined that G-VIIO could be repaired, and it was subsequently covered so that work could be performed.
This involved replacing the left-hand General Electric GE90 engine at the centre of the September incident, repairing fire-damaged sections of its forward fuselage and also working on the tail section.
Barry Ambrose
On 26 February, the aircraft made its departure from Las Vegas, and was transferred the short distance to Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, where Boeing has a large facility to complete the repair and repainting project. Surveillance data indicates it was flown to a maximum altitude of 36,000ft.
When it announced plans to return G-VIIO to use, BA said it “will be certified to the same high standards as if the aircraft was brand new”. All 170 passengers and crew were evacuated from the 777 during the incident, with two sustaining minor injuries.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
