Would Affect 38 JetBlue Planes; Air Canada, Copa Also Fly Type

The FAA has asked for public comment on two proposed airworthiness directives (AD) for the General Electric (GE) CF34-10E engines in use on some Embraer 190 and 195 airliners.

JetBlue was Embraer's launch customer for the 190-series aircraft; the Associated Press reports the proposed ADs affect 38 E-190s operated by the airline. Air Canada and Copa Airlines also operate the aircraft type.

GE and the FAA have been aware of the problem addressed in one of the proposed ADs since last year; the FAA issued AD 2006-20-06 in October after a part failure in some engines' fuel pumps caused three reported in-flight shutdowns. The agency says all aircraft flying are in compliance with that interim fix.

FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette told the Associated Press, "In-flight engine shutdowns are not uncommon," adding none have occurred since operators have complied with AD 2006-20-06.

The first of the two new proposed ADs is an amendment to AD 2006-20-06, which required removing the main fuel pump (MFP) inlet strainer, installing a certain replacement flange as an interim repair, labeling the MFP with a new part number, and performing initial and repetitive visual inspections of the main fuel filter.

Since AD 2006-20-06 was issued, GE determined the cause of MFP fuel inlet strainer failure as a design problem. GE has developed a new part with a more robust design fuel inlet strainer. The proposed amendment would require replacing all old parts with the new one developed by GE no later than April 30, 2007. The FAA estimates total cost for the 50 affected US-registered planes to comply with this AD at $4,226 per engine, for a total of $223,300.

The second proposed AD would require revising the combustor case published life limit and removing combustor cases from service before reaching a reduced life limit. The FAA says it results from GE's evaluation of the effects to the combustor case due to installing version 5.10 software in the full-authority digital electronic control (FADEC).

To comply with the second AD operators must:

• Complete all actions required by the AD within 30 days after the effective date
• Revise manuals to reflect a new life limit for affected combustor cases from 39,600 cycles-since-new (CSN) to 24,600 CSN
• Remove from service affected combustor cases before reaching 24,600 CSN

The second AD will be much more costly -- combustor cases aren't cheap. The FAA estimates compliance costs for the 42 affected US-registered aircraft at just over $140,000 per engine, or a total of $5,886,720... ouch!

FMI: www.airweb.faa.gov