Flight Safety Information - November 12, 2024 No. 225 In This Issue : Accident: Spirit A20N at Port au Prince on Nov 11th 2024, aircraft being shot at : Incident: Lufthansa A319 at Munich on Nov 9th 2024, odour on board : Incident: Condor A339 at Frankfurt on Nov 4th 2024, engine shut down in flight : Incident: Wizz Malta A320 at Barcelona on Nov 6th 2024, fumes on board : JetBlue will halt flights to Haiti through Dec. 2 after aircraft struck by bullet : Flight attendants on Home Depot cofounder's private jets say they were overworked and not paid overtime : Boeing commercial airplanes quality chief to retire in December : Boeing 737 MAX Hit by Shuttle Bus at Hong Kong Airport : Hainan Airlines To Purchase 40 Aircraft From COMAC : VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft : COMAC says Air China is the first customer for C929 widebody jet : Boeing reaches settlement to avert civil trial in MAX crash : FAA Proposes Additional Inspections For Airbus A320ceo V2500 Engines Following An Uncontained Failure : Calendar of Events Accident: Spirit A20N at Port au Prince on Nov 11th 2024, aircraft being shot at A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration N966NK performing flight NK-951 from Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) to Port au Prince (Haiti), was on final approach to Port au Prince's runway 28 when the aircraft encountered gun fire and was hit four times. The crew initiated a go around, climbed to 17000 feet and diverted to Santiago (Dominican Republic) where the aircraft landed without further incident about 35 minutes later. One flight attendant received minor injuries. The airline said, that no passengers were injured however one flight attendant received minor injuries as result of the aircraft being hit by gunfire. After landing in Santiago damage to the aircraft was found consistent with gun fire. Flights to Haiti have been suspended for further assessment. Bullet holes indicate several bullets penetrated the fuselage and hit overhead lockers. https://avherald.com/h?article=52033fbf&opt=0 Incident: Lufthansa A319 at Munich on Nov 9th 2024, odour on board A Lufthansa Airbus A319-100, registration D-AIBK performing flight LH-1668 from Munich (Germany) to Cluj (Romania), was climbing out of Munich's runway 08R when the crew stopped the climb at about FL140 reporting an unusual odour on board. The crew decided to return to Munich where the aircraft landed safely on runway 08R about 20 minutes after departure. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway and was later towed to the apron. The aircraft returned to service about 23.5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=52032c82&opt=0 Incident: Condor A339 at Frankfurt on Nov 4th 2024, engine shut down in flight A Condor Airbus A330-900, registration D-ANRC performing positioning flight DE-2369 from Phuket (Thailand) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 2 crew, was descending towards Frankfurt when one of the engines (Trent 7000) indicated stalled and was shut down. The aircraft continued for a safe landing at Frankfurt Airport. The aircraft had been unable to perform the flight the previous day due to an abnormal engine indication during taxi out in Phuket, the aircraft returned to the terminal, the passengers disembarked. Due to the indication the aircraft needed to position back to Frankfurt without passengers on board. The aircraft is still on the ground in Frankfurt/Main a week after landing in Frankfurt. https://avherald.com/h?article=52032b77&opt=0 Incident: Wizz Malta A320 at Barcelona on Nov 6th 2024, fumes on board A Wizz Air Malta Airbus A320-200, registration 9H-WZT performing flight W4-3405 from Cluj (Romania) to Barcelona,SP (Spain), landed on Barcelona's runway 24R, taxied to the apron, the passengers disembarked normally. However, the return flight was postponed and was carried out by a replacement A320, registration 9H-WAU, reaching Cluj with a delay of about 7 hours. A passenger booked onto the return flight reported that the entire crew of the inbound flight had to be hospitalized due to fumes/smoke on board of the aircraft. A replacement aircraft was dispatched from Cluj and took them to Cluj reaching the destination with a delay of about 7 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Barcelona for about 13 hours, then positioned back to Cluj and resumed service about 5 hours after landing in Cluj. https://avherald.com/h?article=5203173b&opt=0 JetBlue will halt flights to Haiti through Dec. 2 after aircraft struck by bullet WASHINGTON (Reuters) -JetBlue Airways said late on Monday it will extend a halt to all flights to and from Haiti through Dec. 2 after damage from a bullet to a plane returning from Port-au-Prince was discovered. Earlier on Monday, a Spirit Airlines flight destined for the Haitian capital was struck by gunfire, forcing it to be diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic. That incident had prompted JetBlue and American Airlines to cancel all flights through Thursday. JetBlue said its Flight 935 arrived later on Monday in New York without reporting any issues but a post-flight inspection later identified that the aircraft’s exterior had been struck by a bullet. "We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities," JetBlue said, citing the ongoing civil unrest in Haiti in its decision to extend flight cancellations through early December. Spirit said in a statement that its plane had been damaged and taken out of commission upon landing in the northern Dominican city of Santiago. A flight attendant was injured in the incident, while no passengers were harmed. All flights in and out of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince have been halted, the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. embassy said Monday. The FAA said two other flights bound for Toussaint were diverted as a precaution. Spirit said it had suspended flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in Haiti's north, "pending further evaluation." The passengers aboard the Spirit flight on Monday will be taken back in another aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight departed from, Spirit said. Armed gangs in Haiti's capital have shot at aircraft in recent weeks as the security situation deteriorates. Last month, a U.N. helicopter was hit by gunfire over Port-au-Prince. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/jetblue-halt-flights-haiti-dec-033301176.html Flight attendants on Home Depot cofounder's private jets say they were overworked and not paid overtime The Home Depot cofounder Arthur M. Blank's family office is being sued by two private-jet flight attendants. They say they were overworked, and Blank's family office "falsified time records." The plaintiffs say their employment status was misclassified, and they weren't paid overtime they were due. Two private-jet flight attendants have sued the Home Depot cofounder Arthur M. Blank's family office, alleging they were overworked and not paid overtime. In the suit against Blank's family office, AMBFO, Adele Pearson and Samantha Carlisle allege they were improperly classified as exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The women say in the lawsuit that they worked more than 40 hours "nearly every workweek" and sometimes as much as 90 hours. As well as working on flights, the women say they had to devise menus, pick up catering, and "perform various personal errands for Blank or his family members" — including handling dry cleaning and choosing restaurants or hotels. The lawsuit, which was obtained by Business Insider, was filed on October 18 at the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta. Blank, who owns the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, is worth $9.3 billion, according to Forbes. Data from JetSpy shows he owns two private jets, a Bombardier Global Express and a Bombardier Global 7500. The lawsuit says that in 2023, Pearson and Carlisle were paid salaries of $160,000 and "approximately $158,000," respectively, and worked 26 days a month for several months. It also says the family office "falsified time records" to suggest the plaintiffs had eight days off. The lawsuit says that on their days off, the two women were "bombarded" by calls and texts about travel planning from Blank's family office. Their workload was increased because they were often required to cover for "inept" coworkers, the lawsuit says. The women allege in the lawsuit that another of the contract flight attendants was in a romantic relationship with Blank and "provided only limited support" because she was scheduled on flights only when Blank was the sole passenger. The lawsuit also says that the flight operations coordinator was in a romantic relationship with the director of aviation and that she was "unable to perform basic tasks" such as ordering food or booking hotels. Lawyers for the plaintiff accuse AMBFO of one count of unpaid overtime and seek to recover all unpaid overtime, liquidated damages, and legal costs. A spokesperson for AMBFO declined to comment, saying it was company policy not to do so while litigation is pending. https://www.yahoo.com/news/flight-attendants-home-depot-cofounders-104202552.html Boeing commercial airplanes quality chief to retire in December WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing's head of quality for commercial airplanes, Elizabeth Lund, who has spearheaded the planemaker's improvement plans, will retire in December, the company said on Monday. A 33-year veteran of Boeing, Lund had been named in February to the new position of senior vice president of quality for its commercial planes, after the crisis sparked by the Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout of a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. In June, the National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing violated investigation rules when Lund provided non-public information to media and speculated about possible causes of the blowout. The agency barred Boeing from receiving information produced during its probe. Federal Aviation Administration chief Mike Whitaker took the unprecedented step in January of preventing Boeing from expanding 737 MAX production until he is satisfied it has made significant quality improvements. Boeing has been implementing a quality plan it submitted to the FAA in May as it seeks approval to boost 737 MAX production. Lund will be replaced by Doug Ackerman, who has served as vice president of Supply Chain and Fabrication Quality and has been involved in the quality plan. Last month, the FAA said it would open a new safety review into Boeing, looking at issues like risk-assessment quality, resource allocation and adherence to regulatory requirements. The review is expected to take three months. Also in October, the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General criticized FAA oversight of Boeing, saying the agency lacked an effective system to oversee the planemaker's individual manufacturing facilities. An FAA audit of Boeing completed in February found 97 incidents of noncompliance, spanning "issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control." Whitaker said recently that Boeing's improvements in safety culture might take three to five years to implement. In June, he acknowledged that the agency was "too hands-off" in its oversight of Boeing prior to January. Whitaker spoke to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg last week on the planemaker's plans to resume 737 MAX production following a 53-day strike. Lund said at an NTSB hearing in August that the planemaker was working on design changes it hoped to implement within the year and then to retrofit across the fleet to prevent a future incident. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-commercial-airplanes-quality-chief-181309909.html Boeing 737 MAX Hit by Shuttle Bus at Hong Kong Airport HONG KONG- A shuttle bus at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) struck the underside of a Boeing 737 MAX wingtip, delaying a Shandong Airlines (SC) flight to Jinan (TNA), China, by seven hours over the weekend. After the collision, the bus reversed, while the plane’s wing continued moving up and down. “Shandong Airlines” was visible on the aircraft’s body in the video. The user who posted the video wrote, “The wing was broken. We had to wait for repairs during the day, and it wasn’t fixed until midnight. Do you dare to get on this plane?” A video of a shuttle bus colliding with the wingtip of a Shandong Airlines 737 MAX at Hong Kong International Airport was shared on the social media platform Threads on Monday. According to FlightRadar24 data, the flight was delayed by 8 hours. According to the HKG website, Shandong Airlines flight SC1152 to Jinan, Shandong’s capital, was scheduled for departure at 2:10 p.m. on November 10 but was delayed until 10:08 p.m. local time. The aircraft involved in the incident is a Boeing 737-8 (MAX 8), registered as B-224R. Further, it is a new aircraft, Shandong took delivery of it in March 2024. The video shows the bus marked with “zero emission,” suggesting it was one of the airport’s electric buses. These electric airside buses are part of an initiative to phase out diesel models by 2024, as announced by airport authorities in 2020. Hong Kong International Airport has experienced other recent incidents. In February, a tow-truck driver was arrested after a worker, who reportedly fell from his vehicle, was found dead on the airport apron. Similar Incidents Last year in October, An incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) involved an American Eagle flight operated by Air Wisconsin Airlines and an employee shuttle bus, resulting in injuries to two shuttle passengers. American Eagle flight 6209, operated as part of American Airlines (AA), collided with the shuttle bus while taxiing. WLS-TV reported that two shuttle passengers were taken to Ascension Resurrection Hospital in Chicago with minor injuries. Similarly, On August 26, 2023, a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 737 was parked at gate M37 in Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD) after arriving from Punta Cana (PUJ). While the plane was stationary, an American Airlines luggage cart struck its front right section. Post-incident images show a substantial puncture above the aircraft’s landing gear. Each year, hundreds of major and minor incidents occur at the airport due to mishandling and carelessness while working around the aircraft. Make sure to stay alert while working in an apron, or in a hangar at any place which involves complete awareness and focus. https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/11/11/boeing-737-max-hit-by-bus-at-hong-kong-airport/ Hainan Airlines To Purchase 40 Aircraft From COMAC Hainan Airlines has become the latest customer of Comac after placing an order for 40 aircraft. Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that Hainan Airlines reached an agreement with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) for 40 new ARJ21-700s to be operated by Urumqi Air. A filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange says the low-cost carrier will sign the deal, which is worth up to $1.52 billion. But before it is finalized, the airline's shareholders and Chinese government must authorize it. The ARJ21-700 is the first short-medium range turbofan regional plane to have been created in China. These planes can seat between 78 and 97 passengers and have a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. Next month, the Chinese manufacturer will celebrate one decade since the certification of the -700. In ten years since the plane's certification, COMAC has manufactured under 200 of the type. According to ch-aviation, there are 148 ARJ21-700s worldwide, listed as active and inactive. The full list of 11 operators is below: Air China China Express China Southern Chengdu Airlines CFGAC Genghis Khan Jiangxi OTT Airlines Shantou TransNusa COMAC Of the carriers currently flying the -700s, Chengdu Airlines was the first to begin flights. Data shows that Chengdu's first plane was delivered on October 27, 2014. Most of the planes listed as active or inactive (typically in maintenance) have been delivered from 2020 forward. As of April, COMAC had orders from the 'Big Three" Chinese carriers for its C919, Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern Airlines. China Southern and Air China both placed an order for 100 of the C919s. Interestingly enough, all three of the airlines listed above have placed orders for 100 planes. Prior to April, only China Eastern had ordered the C919. The carrier's first order for five aircraft was placed in March 2021. Then, in September 2023, the airline ordered 500 more of the type. Air China and China Southern placed their orders on the same day. The HNA Group, which is one of the owners of Hainan Airlines, also announced a significant aircraft order in April. At the time, it purchased 60 C919s and 40ARJ21s. The 60 C919s were meant for two of the subsidiaries, Suparna Airlines and Urumqi Air. ""In the fourth quarter of 2024, Suparna Airlines will receive its first C919 aircraft, becoming the world's first privately-owned airline to operate the C919. The plan is to introduce a total of 30 C919 aircraft by the end of 2027, gradually establishing a passenger transport operation model based solely on China-developed C919 aircraft." - Suparna Airlines Today, only one airline, TransNusa, operates a COMAC aircraft outside of China. As shown above, the Indonesian low-cost carrier operates the ARJ21. Despite this, rumors surfaced in September that one of Brazil's cargo carriers was considering a purchase for some COMAC aircraft. Reports from Reuters said that one of Total's partners was going to visit China in October to meet with COMAC and negotiate a purchase of four planes. Reuters added that a deal could be reached ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to Brazil for the G20 Summit. https://simpleflying.com/hainan-airlines-40-comac-aircraft/ VoltAero Opens Assembly Facility for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft French start-up's new headquarters is located at Rochefort Airport VoltAero has inaugurated the assembly line for its Cassio hybrid-electric aircraft at Rochefort Airport in the west of France. VoltAero has inaugurated the final assembly facility for its Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft. The site at Rochefort Airport in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France also incorporates the start-up’s headquarters. During an event on November 8, the company said that the 25,839-sq-ft facility will have capacity to produce 150 Cassio aircraft each year. VoltAero also intends to establish local manufacturing sites to serve local markets in other regions of the world. The Cassio family includes three models—the 330, 480, and 600—that would seat between five and 12 passengers. VoltAero is aiming to start flight testing a full-scale technology demonstrator for the Cassio 330 in 2025 as it works towards EASA type certification in 2026. The Cassio’s powertrain consists of a pair of Safran’s EngineUs electric motors, a turbogenerator, and an aft-mounted pusher propeller. The hybrid-electric range is expected to be up to around 695 nm or 82 nm while operating in all-electric mode. “We are addressing the highly important market requirement to connect thousands of communities and regions around the world with truly sustainable and efficient advanced regional air mobility, while remaining fully compatible with the airport and air traffic control infrastructure,” said VoltAero’s CEO and chief technology officer, Jean Botti. “Additionally, our patented electric-hybrid propulsion system for Cassio provides the dual-source power to fly safely, and is based on electric battery technology that is available today.” The new facility has direct access to Rochefort Airport’s 7,478-ft runway. Using a mix of wood and concrete, and incorporating features such as photovoltaic solar panels and rainwater harvesting, the building meets the latest French RT2005 requirements for energy efficiency. The site has space for VoltAero’s partners and suppliers to establish their own facilities. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-11-11/voltaero-opens-assembly-facility-cassio-hybrid-electric COMAC says Air China is the first customer for C929 widebody jet ZHUHAI, China (Reuters) -COMAC said on Tuesday that Air China was the first customer for the Chinese planemaker's C929 widebody aircraft under development that is designed to compete with twin-aisle models from Airbus and Boeing. COMAC's deputy director of marketing, Liu Yan, made the announcement at China's biggest air show in Zhuhai. Liu did not disclose the number of aircraft that Beijing-based Air China would purchase or planned delivery dates. The aircraft maker also announced that Hainan Airlines had placed a firm order for 60 C919 narrowbody and 40 C909 regional jets. Colorful Guizhou Airlines signed a purchase agreement for 30 C909 planes, it added, 20 of which are firm and the remainder provisional. COMAC has said the C929 will have 280 to 400 seats and a range of 12,000 km (7,500 miles), which is in the same category as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. The C929 was renamed in 2023 from the CR929 after Russia left a China-Russia joint venture developing the aircraft. A report in April from the C929's fuselage manufacturer said it aimed to deliver the first fuselage section by September 2027. COMAC deputy general manager Tong Yu in May told a group of Hong Kong reporters in Shanghai that a C929 prototype will be seen in the near future and estimated the jet could "soon" take a test flight, according to Hong Kong newspaper Tai Kong Pao. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/comac-says-air-china-launch-040358723.html Boeing reaches settlement to avert civil trial in MAX crash Beleaguered aviation giant Boeing reached a last-minute settlement Monday with the family of a woman killed in the crash of a 737 MAX jetliner in 2019, averting a federal civil trial. Three sources close to the case told AFP that a settlement had been agreed upon out of court, but they gave no details. The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines plane killed 157 people. The trial was set to begin Tuesday in Chicago. It originally involved six plaintiffs but until now all but one had settled, according to a source familiar with the case. The hearing on Tuesday will take place to inform Judge Jorge Alonso of the settlement, who must approve the deal for it to be officially settled, the source said. "It is a damage-only trial, meaning no evidence regarding the liability of Boeing will be presented," the source told AFP. The remaining case involved Manisha Nukavarapu, an Indian-born woman who was on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 on March 10, 2019, when the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board. Lawyers for the plaintiff's family did not respond to a request for comment by AFP. The initial complaint, obtained by AFP, said Nukavarapu was in her second year of medical school residency at East Tennessee State University, where she planned to become an endocrinologist. She had planned to take the Ethiopian Airlines flight to visit her sister in Kenya. - Negligence - A court document from June 2023 said that relatives of 115 victims filed civil complaints against Boeing for wrongful death and negligence, among other things, between April 2019 and March 2021. As of October 22, there were still "30 cases pending on behalf of 29 decedents" according to a source close to the legal proceedings. The complaints have been divided into several groups, with the next group scheduled to go to trial on April 7, 2025. Boeing has "accepted responsibility for the MAX crashes publicly and in civil litigation because the design of the MCAS...contributed to these events," a lawyer for Boeing said during an October hearing. MCAS, a flight stabilizing feature, was implicated in the Ethiopian Airlines crash and a 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air, which crashed on October 29, 2018, about 10 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. All 189 people aboard the plane died. After the two 737 MAX crashes, the entire 737 MAX fleet were grounded for more than 20 months for authorities to conduct an investigation. According to Boeing, more than 90% of the civil complaints filed about the two crashes have been resolved. "Boeing has paid billions of dollars to the crash families and their lawyers in connection with civil litigation," an attorney for Boeing, Mark Filip, said at a hearing on October 11. https://www.yahoo.com/news/boeing-reaches-settlement-avert-civil-010130822.html FAA Proposes Additional Inspections For Airbus A320ceo V2500 Engines Following An Uncontained Failure The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be proposing additional maintenance requirements for certain International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 models, which power Airbus A320ceo family aircraft, following an uncontained engine failure on an aircraft powered by the engine type. On November 12, the FAA will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the V2522-A5, V2524-A5, V2525-D5, V2527-A5, V2527E-A5, V2527M-A5, V2528-D5, V2530-A5, V2531-E5, and V2533-A5 engines, which power the A320ceo family of aircraft and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. However, there are no active MD-90 aircraft that are equipped with the nine engine models, ch-aviation data showed. One MD-90 with such engines will become the Boeing X-66, the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) test frame, which arrived at Boeing’s facilities for modifications in August 2023. According to the FAA, further analysis of an uncontained engine failure of an IAE V2533-A5 model prompted the proposed airworthiness directive (AD). The engine failure resulted in high-energy debris penetrating the engine cowling, the FAA noted. “This proposed AD would require revising the airworthiness limitations section (ALS) of the existing maintenance manual or instructions for continued airworthiness and the existing approved maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to include new inspections of certain critical rotating parts.” 40 years ago, Pratt & Whitney created the IAE partnership, which produced one of the world's most successful and efficient airliner engines. Affecting over 1,500 engines in the US The United States-based regulator estimated that 1,514 engines in the US would be affected by the directive, which should be effective sometime in 2025. Globally, ch-aviation data showed that there are 2,833 A320ceo family aircraft with the nine engine models that are active, in maintenance, or stored. Over 2,400 of those are currently actively flying commercial flights, according to the site. Currently, the FAA is inviting stakeholders, including airlines, maintenance organizations, and other potential parties, to comment on the NPRM until December 27. “The FAA is issuing this AD to prevent failure of the HPT 1st-stage hub and HPT 2nd-stage hub. The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in an uncontained hub failure, release of high-energy debris, damage to the engine, damage to the airplane, and loss of the airplane.” Operators of A320ceo family aircraft will have to revise the ‘Maintenance Scheduling’ paragraph of the ALS of the existing approved engine maintenance manual (EMM) or instructions for continued airworthiness and existing approved maintenance or inspection program. Compliance costs should be low, with the FAA estimating an $85 expense to revise the ALS, which should take up to one working hour. Approximately 65% of the Airbus A320 family is powered by CFM56 engines and the remaining 35% by the IAE V2500s. Culminating in Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine inspections The latest NPRM will become the newest directive in a long string of ADs that have resulted in Pratt & Whitney recalling hundreds of PW1100G engines, also known as the Geared Turbofan (GTF). Pratt & Whitney joined forces with Japanese Aero Engines Corporation – a conglomerate of several Japanese aerospace manufacturers – and MTU Aero Engines to establish IAE. Nevertheless, troubles with the IAE V2500 began on March 18, 2020, when an A321ceo, equipped with two IAE V2533-A5 engines, had an uncontained high-pressure turbine (HPT) 1st-stage disk failure resulting in high-energy debris penetrating the engine cowling. Three days later, the FAA issued an emergency directive mandating operators to remove certain HPT 1st-stage disks from service. In September 2021, the FAA adopted an AD that now mandated HPT 1st-stage and 2nd-stage disk removals for the PW1100G engines. “Pratt & Whitney (PW) determined that the failure of the V2533-A5 model turbofan engine was due to an undetected subsurface material defect in an HPT disk that may affect the life of the part. In June 2021, PW expanded its root cause analysis to include a review of records for all other IAE and PW engines that contain parts of similar material.” In October 2022, the FAA said that Pratt & Whitney came across another subpopulation of HPT 1st-stage and 2nd-stage disks potentially impacted by the same material anomalies, mandating an ultrasonic inspection (USI) of the two HPT disks. Depending on the results, operators had to replace one or both of the disks, with that directive potentially affecting 189 engines in the US. Everything culminated in August 2023. The FAA issued another AD, saying that following a PW1100G engine failure on an A320neo in December 2022, which resulted in the high-pressure compressor (HPC) integrally bladed rotor (IBR-7) separating and prompting the pilots to abort their takeoff, Pratt & Whitney conducted another records check. As a result, the aircraft engine manufacturer told airlines to accelerate their USIs of HPT 1st-stage and HPT 2nd-stage disk hubs, which were deemed susceptible to failure much earlier than previously determined, with the earlier determination serving as the basis for the October 2022 AD. The latter directive has resulted in many airlines having to ground their PW1100G-powered A320neo family aircraft, with the engines’ long turnaround times (TAT) at maintenance shops leaving carriers with few alternatives to sustain their capacity, one of which has been wet leasing aircraft. Progressing with removals and inspections During RTX’s Q3 earnings call on October 22, Christopher Calio, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, said that the engine manufacturing remained on track with its PW1100G fleet management plan. In September 2023, RTX said that around 600 to 700 engines will be removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026 – and beyond – with the majority of incremental removals being in 2023 and early 2024. Nevertheless, Calio said that at the end of Q3 2024, inspections of powdered metal parts have continued according to plan. The associated fallout rate remained below the 1% expectation, with the findings being consistent with its fleet plan. “At our MRO facilities, throughput of engines is improving. PW1100 output increased 10% sequentially and 27% on a year-over-year basis. The team is utilizing core practices to optimize the inspection sequence and implement concurrent assembly operations in our MRO facilities.” ch-aviation identified 623 A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo PW1100G-powered aircraft that are currently stored or in maintenance. In comparison, the site indicated that 1,044 A320neo family jets with GTF engines are actively flying. https://simpleflying.com/faa-inspections-airbus-a320ceo-v2500-engines-uncontained-failure/ CALENDAR OF EVENTS • NATA’s Aviation Business Conference (ABC) - November 12-13,2024, Nashville, TN • Elevate Your Organization's Safety Practices with ERAU’s SMS Course in Daytona Beach Nov. 19-21 • The Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA) - 26/27 of November 2024; Manama, Bahrain • Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! March 4 & 5, 2025 (Orlando) • Annual Women in Aviation International Conference, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Conference Center | Denver Colorado, March 27-29, 2025 • 59th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium is scheduled March 31 - April 2, 2025 • Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Safety Symposium April 7-9, 2025 • AIA Conference: The Aviation Insurance Association's annual conference in Orlando, Florida from April 25–28, 2025 • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore • The 9th Shanghai International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exposition 2025; June 11 to 13, 2025 Curt Lewis