Report finds a faulty component could have caused 'extensive damage' to Cathay Pacific jet

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s air safety authority said Thursday that a defect in an engine component of a Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350 that caused a fire, forcing a Zurich-bound flight to return to Hong Kong, could have caused “extensive damage” to the aircraft.

The report on the Sept. 2 incident by Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority said the steel braided sheath of a fuel hose connecting to a fuel spray nozzle was ruptured. Had the faulty component not been promptly detected and repaired, it could have escalated into a more serious engine fire.

A preliminary investigation found soot on a section of the aircraft's core engine, indicating signs of a fire.

Five other fuel hoses in the Cathay jet also were found to have either “frayed metal braids or collapsed structures,” the report said.