FAA Calls for Shorter Maintenance Intervals on Some GE Jet Engines

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FAA Calls for Shorter Maintenance Intervals on Some GE Jet Engines

By Jennifer Oldham
(LA) Times Staff Writer

August 18, 2006

Prompted by the spectacular explosion earlier this summer of an engine in an unoccupied Boeing 767 parked at Los Angeles International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday ordered airlines to follow a more aggressive maintenance schedule for a widely used General Electric jet engine series.

The order, which will affect up to 800 engines on several aircraft models, came before an independent federal safety board completed its investigation of the LAX incident. The FAA decided to act now, officials said, because new information from the investigation warranted shorter maintenance intervals for some wide-body aircraft engines.

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The new directive, which goes into effect at the end of the month, will significantly tighten existing engine maintenance schedules, mandating a 70% reduction in the interval between inspections and repairs for the oldest General Electric CF6-80 engines. For newer engines, there will be an average 40% reduction in the number of permitted takeoffs and landings before they are overhauled. The order requires all engines in this family to be inspected, regardless of usage, by December 2008.

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An initial examination of pieces of the disk recovered after the LAX incident found cracks caused by fatigue, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The board expects to close its investigation into the matter soon, said Paul Schlamm, a board spokesman. Similar hairline cracks found in metal disks in two other engine explosions prompted the FAA to issue an order in February 2004 requiring airlines to closely inspect those parts in GE CF6-80 engines.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-engine18aug18,1,3498703.story