An Airbus A320-200, operated by Viva AeroBus, experienced a catastrophic engine failure on Tuesday during climbout from Guadalajara’s runway 10 with the intended destination of Los Angeles.
Video of the incident was posted on social media which showed flames and sparks streaking from the rear of the right engine, proceeded by a loud bang as reported by passengers on the flight. You will want to watch this incredible video.
News reports indicate that the crew stopped the climb at 13,000 feet while completing the emergency shutdown of the engine and safely returning to Guadalajara International Airport at 22:45, local time.
After an almost 12-hour delay, as shown on FlightRadar24, another Viva AeroBus aircraft (Airbus A320neo) departed Guadalajara for Los Angeles at 6:50 on Wednesday morning.
While it will take a bit of time for investigators to determine what caused this failure, most of these types of failures can be attributed to mechanical issues in the engine, such as turbine or oil leaks and related mechanical breakdowns, as well as external conditions such as contamination, bird strikes or unusual weather conditions (such as heavy precipitation). While none of the aforementioned conditions can be confirmed as of this writing, investigators will look at all possible causes.
Since this appears to be a contained engine failure, there was no additional damage to the aircraft, other than the damage that occurred to the engine which ultimately caused the failure.
Thankfully, no injuries to passengers or crew were reported at the time. The investigation continues.
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