SYNOPSIS
Shannon Air Traffic Control (ATC) notified the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) and an investigation team arrived in Shannon at 11.00 hrs on 11 March 1997. The Director of Civil Aviation (DCA) Zimbabwe, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), USA and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Montreal, were notified on 13 March 1997. The AAIU team consisted of Mr Graham Liddy, Inspector-in-Charge, and Mr Frank Russell.
The aircraft had completed a refuelling stop at Shannon Airport and took off bound for Harare, Zimbabwe. Immediately after take-off fire was detected in the No. 3 engine. The fire was successfully extinguished and a number of other technical problems arose, necessitating two over-shoots. The aircraft finally landed safely at Shannon. No. 3 engine had suffered considerable fire damage. The investigation found that this engine had suffered a similar fire 11 days before this event. The fire originated in a poor welding repair of the engine diffuser casing. This repair was completed some considerable time prior to the fire.
