Last month, Pratt & Whitney parent RTX Corp said that a “rare condition” in powdered metal meant that 1,200 of more than 3,000 engines, built for the twin-engined Airbus A320neo aircraft between 2015 and 2021, might have to be removed and inspected for micro cracks
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday stated that it will require some users of Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engine to conduct inspections within 30 days to prevent a part failure that could damage the airplane, Reuters reported.
Last month, Pratt & Whitney parent RTX Corp said that a “rare condition” in powdered metal meant that 1,200 of more than 3,000 engines, built for the twin-engined Airbus A320neo aircraft between 2015 and 2021, might have to be removed and inspected for micro cracks.
The FAA, in an airworthiness directive published on Friday, said it will require an ultrasonic inspection of the first- and second-stage high-pressure turbine disks within 30 days, the Reuters report stated. The agency said that if the disks show signs of fatigue, they must be replaced before further flight. The directive is effective immediately.
The move by FAA affects 20 engines on U.S.-registered aircraft and 202 engines worldwide.
In December 2022, an incident took place where a failure of the GTF’s high-pressure compressor resulted in an aborted takeoff. Following this, RTX conducted analysis that found the disks were more susceptible to failure “much earlier” than previously believed, the airworthiness directive said.
Pratt & Whitney issued an instruction to operators on August 4 to expedite inspections of the disks.
Earlier this year, crisis-hit carrier Go First, that had filed for voluntary insolvency proceedings, had blamed engine maker Pratt & Whitney for its situation.
“Go First has had to take this step due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney’s International Aero Engines, LLC, which has resulted in Go First having to ground 25 aircraft (equivalent to approximately 50 per cent of its Airbus A320neo aircraft fleet) as of 1 May 2023,” said the airline in a statement.
“The percentage of grounded aircraft due to Pratt & Whitney’s faulty engines has grown from 7 per cent in December 2019 to 31 per cent in December 2020 to 50 per cent in December 2022. This is despite Pratt & Whitney making several ongoing assurances over the years, which it has repeatedly failed to meet,” it added.
