Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wide Body Report - September 16, 2015

September 16, 2015


The investigation continues into the cause of an uncontained engine failure of a GE90 engine on a British Airways 777 airliner, which occurred last week in Las Vegas.  The FAA had issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD Note) four years ago, calling for inspections of certain GE90 engine models, to look for cracks in the engine's turbine airfoils which could cause an "uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane."  A spokesman for General Electric, however, has reported that the engine involved in the incident - a GE90-85B - was of an older configuration and was not covered by the AD Note.  The most recent engine failure was also reported to have occurred in the HPC (high pressure compressor) section of the engine, rather than in the turbine.  All 172 passengers and crew of the British Airways flight safely evacuated during the recent engine failure in Las Vegas, which showered the airplane and runway with debris.  .
http://gizmodo.com/the-faa-warned-boeing-about-the-flaw-that-caused-a-777-1730504726
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3234999/Boeing-warned-engine-BA-plane-caught-fire-Las-Vegas-runway-unsafe-four-years-ago.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2015/09/09/-latest-british-airways-boeing-777-catches-fire--las-vegas/71922634/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3228455/Las-Vegas-fire-jet-SECOND-British-Airways-Boeing-777-200-lose-engine-takeoff-forcing-emergency-evacuation.html


The final commercial flight of the first Boeing 747-400 took place this past week, aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 836 from Honolulu to Atlanta.
http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/09/10/onboard-the-final-scheduled-flight-of-the-very-first-boeing-747-400/


Malaysia Airlines has signed an agreement for the lease for four new Airbus A350 aircraft from Air Lease Corporation.  The A350-900s are expected to be delivered by the second quarter of 2018, with an option to lease two more A350-900s and two A330-900 NEO aircraft.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-airlines-leases-4-new-airbus-planes


Airbus is nearing regulatory approval for the use of lithium ion batteries for backup and starting power on the A350-900.  Airbus had delayed the incorporation of lithium ion technology on the A350, following a series of battery-related fires aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-nearing-final-approvals-for-a350-lithium-ion-416769/


A Singapore Airlines A380 reported excessive engine vibration and shut down one of its four engines while en route from Tokyo to Los Angeles.  Singapore Airlines flies Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines aboard its A380 fleet.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-airlines-plane/2129998.html


Airbus has begun assembly of the engine pylon and center wing box for the first A330 NEO (new engine option) aircraft.  The A330 NEO will be powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine.
http://www.aeronewstv.com/en/industry/commercial-aviation/2818-airbus-a330neo-joins-the-family.html


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