Alvorlig motorhavari - PW1127G i en A320-200N - Curt Lewis

Incident: GoAir A20N at Guwahati on Dec 23rd 2019, engine shut down in flight

A GoAir Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-WGL performing flight G8-546 from Guwahati to Kolkata (India) with 137 passengers and 7 crew, was in the initial climb out of Guwahati's runway 02 when one of the engines (PW1127G) emitted loud noises. The crew stopped the climb at 6000 feet, shut the engine down and returned to Guwahati for a safe landing on runway 02 about 20 minutes after departure.

Residents underneath the departure path of runway 02 reported they heard an airplane flying over them, suddenly a deafening sound followed by metallic debris raining down on them.

A post flight inspection of the engine revealed the last stage low pressure turbine blades had all fractured near in their first third of the blade.

The airline reported a minor technical problem prompted the crew to return to Guwahati.

On Dec 24th 2019 India's DGCA reported the engine suffered high vibrations and emitted a lot of noise, passenger saw fire from the tailpipe. The engine was indicated stalled. The DGCA pointed out that a recent FAA airworthiness directive had mandated replacement of parts in order to address frequent low pressure turbine 3rd stage failures.

On Nov 29th 2019 the FAA had released their Airworthiness Directive 2019-25-01 stating:

The FAA received reports of approximately 21 failures of the affected LPT 3rd-stage blades from 2017 through June 2019. These failures appear to be caused by impact damage occurring when debris passes through the engine. The manufacturer has determined the need to replace any affected LPT 3rd-stage blades with LPT blades made of a different material that is more resistant to impact damage.

In response to these events, the FAA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), Product Identifier 2019-NE-31-AD (84 FR 64441, November 22, 2019), proposing to adopt a new AD to address LPT 3rd-stage blade failures on certain IAE LLC PW1122G-JM, PW1124G-JM, PW1124G1-JM, PW1127G1-JM, PW1127GA-JM, PW1127G-JM, PW1129G-JM, PW1130G-JM, PW1133GA-JM, PW1133G-JM model turbofan engines. This NPRM AD proposes removal from service of affected LPT 3rd-stage blades at the next engine shop visit.

Since June 2019, and prior to the publication of NPRM Product Identifier 2019-NE-31-AD, 20 additional failures of the affected LPT 3rd-stage blades have occurred. The investigation of these failures is on-going. These additional failures have occurred primarily on engines operated by certain airlines. This AD requires an accelerated timeframe for replacement of the affected LPT 3rd-stage blades on certain serial-numbered engines being operated by these airlines. Based on publication of NPRM Product Identifier 2019-NE-31-AD, the FAA would still require replacement of the affected LPT 3rd-stage blades on the remaining affected engines at the next engine shop visit.

This condition, if not addressed, could result in failure of the LPT 3rd-stage blades, failure of one or more engines, loss of thrust control, and loss of the airplane. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.