Overview
- The Delta flight to Atlanta saw flames and bursts from its left engine soon after takeoff from Guarulhos, and the crew brought the A330-300 back safely with no reported injuries among about 288 people on board.
- Air traffic control radioed a warning in Spanish that there was fire on the wing, and the pilots leveled at about 4,500 feet to run checklists before landing again on the same runway because the parallel runway was closed for maintenance.
- Metal fragments fell beside the runway and ignited brush, which firefighters put out as the airport paused operations to clear debris and check the area.
- CENIPA, Brazil’s air-accident authority, opened a formal investigation that is focusing first on a possible bird strike or damage from a loose object on the runway to the left-side Pratt & Whitney PW4168A engine.
- The A330 carries built-in fire bottles in the engine nacelle that discharge Halon, and the crew followed those emergency steps to secure the engine and set up for a prompt return.