GEnx Engine Failed During Pre-Flight Taxi Test In SC

The recent failure of a GEnx engine on a Boeing Dreamliner being built in South Carolina has caused Air India to put deliveries of the new airliner on hold pending an NTSB investigation, according to media reports from that country Friday.

Air India was not reachable for either confirmation or denial.

An aviation analyst told the New York Daily News that the Indian Government is using the engine failure as an excuse to purposely delay taking delivery of the new airliners.Air India is seeking compensation from Boeing for delays in delivery of the airliners. The first was scheduled to be delivered to the fast-growing nation in June, and the airplane with the engine that failed was intended for delivery to Air India.

The failed engine is being examined by GE and NTSB officials. The model that failed is slightly different than the GEnx engines in use on Boeing's new 747-8 airplanes. None of those engines are suspect, according to GE. London-based aviation analyst Saj Ahmad said that makes Air India's position on taking deliveries because of the engine failure even less tenable.

Everything that is being said about the engine failure so far is, of course, speculation. But both Boeing and GE have said that there does not seem to be a broader problem with the engine design, and that the failure was an isolated incident. GE Aviation spokesman Rick Kennedy said he expects the investigation to be move rapidly, sayin it is an "around-the-clock operation."

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.ge.com