FAA issues emergency Airworthiness
Directive on Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine after United Airlines incident
in Denver
By
-
24 February 20210
The FAA
issued an Emergency
Airworthiness Directive (AD) (PDF) that requires U.S. operators of
airplanes equipped with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines to inspect
these engines before further flight.
The FAA is taking this
action as the result of a fan-blade failure that occurred
Saturday on a Boeing 777-200 that had just departed from Denver International
Airport. Although the aircraft landed safely, the failure resulted in damage to
the engine, an in-flight engine fire, and damage to the airplane.
After reviewing the
available data and considering other safety factors, the FAA determined that
operators must conduct a thermal acoustic image (TAI) inspection of the large
titanium fan blades located at the front of each engine. TAI technology can
detect cracks on the interior surfaces of the hollow fan blades, or in areas
that cannot be seen during a visual inspection.
As these required
inspections proceed, the FAA will review the results on a rolling basis. Based
on the initial results as we receive them, as well as other data gained from
the ongoing investigation, the FAA may revise this directive to set a new
interval for this inspection or subsequent ones.
The previous inspection
interval for this engine was 6,500 flight cycles. A flight cycle is defined as
one takeoff and landing.
This AD is effective
immediately upon receipt. The FAA will share this information with other
international civil aviation authorities.
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