British Airways jet in Las Vegas is the SECOND to lose an engine on takeoff

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Both British Airways Boeing 777-200s were powered by GE90-85B engines
The earlier incident happened leaving George Bush Airport in Houston
The pilot in the earlier incident noticed 'an unusual noise and vibrations'
A defective turbine blade was blamed on the earlier engine failure

Published: 16:36 EST, 9 September 2015 | Updated: 07:42 EST, 10 September 2015

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The passenger jet which caught fire in Las Vegas is the second British Airways Boeing 777-200 to lose an engine during takeoff and forcing an emergency evacuation, MailOnline can reveal.

Both the Las Vegas jet, and the aircraft involved in the earlier incident were both powered by General Electric GE90-85B engines.

On Tuesday, pilot Captain Chris Henkey decided to abort his takeoff at 90mph after his left engine burst into flames at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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The Boeing 777-200, pictured, is the second British Airways jet of its type to suffer a major engine failure

The Boeing 777-200 was powered by a pair of General Electric GE90-85B engines, one of which, caught fire

The earlier incident also involved a B777-200 with GE90-85B engine like the Las Vegas jet, pictured

During the earlier incident, another British Airways Boeing 777-200, powered by a pair of General Electric GE90-85B engines suffered an engine failure as it took off from George Bush Houston Airport in Texas on its way to Gatwick.

According to a report by the US National Transportation Safety Board the flight crew were forced to declare an emergency moments after take off.

The jet took off shortly after 1655 local time when the crew noticed a problem as the aircraft accelerated down the runway.

The NTSB report said: 'According to the flight crew, as the throttles were advanced for takeoff, an unusual noise and vibration was heard on the left side of the airplane.

'The captain, who was the non-flying pilot, initially commented that it might be the runway surface grooving. As the ground speed increased, all engine parameters appeared normal and the takeoff proceeded.'

However, once the aircraft was airborne, the flight crew were warned of a 'LH Engine Vibration - Level 5'.

As the aircraft reached 1,500 feet, the crew noticed a 'haze' in the cockpit. At 4,000 feet, the flight crew donned their oxygen masks.

The cabin crew warned the flight deck that they heard a 'loud noise from the left hand side of the airplane' and the cabin was filling with smoke.

The pilot was forced to abort the takeoff when the port engine of his Boeing 777-200 caught fire

According to the NTSB report: 'The flightcrew reduced thrust on the left engine and decided to make an immediate overweight landing at Houston.'

The crew also declared an emergency and landed safely.

The 114 passengers and 15 crew all escaped the aircraft safely following the emergency landing.

A thorough examination of the engine discovered that one of the turbine blades had failed. The NTSB issued a warning

On November 7, 2012 an Emirates Airlines Boeing 777 suffered an engine failure on take off from Bangkok International Airport in Thailand.

The pilot managed to shut down the engine and put out the blaze with the fire bottles. The aircraft continued to Mumbai International Airport in India where it underwent 'an uneventful single engine landing'.

The Las Vegas jet was evacuated after its left engine failed during takeoff and burst into flames

According to a report into incident: 'During a preliminary visual inspection ground crews noted burn marks on the No2. engine fan cowl and thrust reversers. Paint blistering was identified on the engine cowling and sooting was seen on engine components.

'A fuel line to the right variable bleed valve actuator was fractured at the weld and was leaking fuel.'

A National Transportation Safety Board team was traveling to Las Vegas from Washington, DC, to investigate, agency spokesman Eric Weiss said.

INVESTIGATORS PROBE WHY JET'S FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM FAILED

The National Transportation Safety Board is probing why the Boeing 777-200s fire suppression system failed to extinguish the engine blaze.

Video footage of the incident clearly shows that the fire consuming the aircraft's left wing was not extinguished until firefighters arrived.

A source close to the investigation told CNN that a warning light appeared in the cockpit and the pilot shot the fire extinguisher bottles into the flaming engines.

One possibility could be due to a ruptured fuel line which caused the fire to spread.

Investigators will want to discover whether the fire control system was working at the time of the incident.

Preliminary reports usually are issued within about a week, and a complete investigation in unusual or precedent-setting cases can take more than a year.

Weiss said: 'We're calling it an engine fire. We're interested in the exact chain of events."

The plane had two GE90 engines made by GE Aviation, and the company said heat distress was evident on the left engine and fuselage.

They said, despite the fire, the GE90 engine was still safe to fly.

The Boeing 777 was preparing to take off with 172 people on board Tuesday when the fire broke out in its left engine. The crew immediately aborted the takeoff and terrified passengers scrambled off the burning plane using emergency slides.

General Electric said it was sending technical representatives to assist an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but insisted its engine was safe.

A spokesman said: 'Based on the engine fleet's service history, we are not aware of any operational issues that would hazard the continued safe flight of aircraft powered by these engines.'

In a statement, the company claimed the engine 'has compiled an outstanding safety and reliability record since entering service in 1995.

'The GE90 is among the world's most reliable engines, powering more than 900 Boeing 777 aircraft and accumulating more than 50 million flight hours.'