On April 4th, an El Al Boeing 787-9 took off from Tel Aviv (TLV) for Los Angeles (LAX) but experienced engine issues partway through its climb to cruising altitude. This led to the crew making the decision to shut the engine down and divert back to Tel Aviv.
Incident details
On Tuesday, April 4th, an El Al Boeing 787-9 registered 4X-EDI and powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines was performing flight LY5 from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles. Data from FlightRadar24.com shows that the aircraft departed TLV at 01:24, 19 minutes later than its scheduled departure time of 1:05.
According to The Aviation Herald, the aircraft was climbing out of Tel Aviv's runway 26 when the aircraft began to indicate decreasing oil quantity for its left-hand engine. This was then followed by an indication of low engine oil pressure. As a result, the crew stopped climbing, holding at an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet (4,267 meters).
The crew performed the relevant checklist and reduced engine thrust. However, the indication persisted which led the crew to shut down the engine and divert back to Tel Aviv. After dumping fuel, the aircraft performed a safe landing back on runway 26 some 45 minutes after initial departure.
According to information obtained by The Aviation Herald, the issue stemmed from a "leaking oil seal in the left engine's gearbox."
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Resuming service for affected passengers
The Aviation Herald notes that a replacement Boeing 787-9 registered as 4X-EDE was dispatched to send passengers to Los Angeles. Departing at 09:45, the aircraft arrived at LAX with a delay of nearly eight hours.
As for 4X-EDI, it remained on the ground for over two full days before being deployed for flight LY1, El Al's flagship service to New York JFK. The jet landed safely and without incident at JFK 11-and-a-half hours after departing Tel Aviv.
About 4X-EDI
The incident aircraft is one of 12 Boeing 787-9s operated by El Al. The airline also operates three of the shorter 787-8.
According to Planespotters.net, 4X-EDI has MSN 38800 and Line No. 794. The aircraft, at the time of publication, is nearly four-and-a-half years old and was delivered to El Al in January 2019. ch-aviation.com data indicates that the aircraft is owned and managed by Irish lessor AerCap. The website also shows that El Al is expecting one more 787-8 and one more 787-9 to join the fleet.
The aircraft joins other El Al 787-9s in serving the cities of New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in the United States, as well as flying to London, Paris, and Bangkok. The aircraft has also completed a few services to Sofia (Bulgaria) in recent months.
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Sources: The Aviation Herald, FlightRadar24.com, Planespotters.net, ch-aviation.com