The real reason a Virgin Australia plane’s engines suddenly STOPPED

An investigation into why two engines on a Virgin Australia aircraft ‘flamed out’ during a descent to Canberra Airport last week has revealed heavy rain may have lead to engine malfunction.

The ATR 72-600 twin-engine shut down at 7pm on December 13 when flames were extinguished in the combustion chamber – a potential side effect of heavy rain. 

When the left engine also lost power, the crew flew the plane manually before landing at Canberra airport, according to a brief by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.   

‘When you get a large amount of water in a gas turbine, it can actually put the fire out,’ Australian Federation of Air Pilots’ safety and technical director Marcus Diamond told The Australian. 

While no one was injured, the ATSB has regarded the incident as ‘serious’.

However, Mr Diamond said an engine flame out was ‘not a common occurrence’ and ‘there must have been an inordinate amount of water ingested into both engines.’

Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers Australian federal secretary Steve Purvinas said the incident was ‘alarming’.

‘It would be very alarming to think aircraft could lose engine power and thrust as a result of flying through rain,’ he said. 

‘While the aircraft was descending through 11,000 ft in heavy rain, the right engine’s power rolled back (decreased) and the engine flamed out,’ a statement on the ATSB website read.

‘The engine automatically re-started within five seconds. The descent continued and, while passing through 10,000 ft, the left engine’s power also rolled back and that engine flamed out before automatically relighting.’ 

The aircraft remained grounded at Canberra Airport (pictured) for three days following the incident but has since has 11 flights across NSW and to Melbourne

The ATSB has downloaded the flight data recorder and will collect additional evidence.

A final report will be released at the end of the investigation in the second half of 2019.

‘Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate action can be taken,’ the ATSB states.

The aircraft was grounded at Canberra Airport for three days following the incident, according to flight tracking data.

The plane has since made 11 flights to Sydney, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, and Melbourne in the last two days with another 11 flights scheduled for December 19-20. 

Virgin Australia confirmed the ATSB is investigating an engine incident involving one of its ATR-72 aircraft.

‘The aircraft, travelling from Sydney to Canberra, landed safely and there was no customer impact,’ a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Safety is always our number one priority and we are assisting the ATSB with their investigation.’