Sat, Oct 11, 2008
Notes 76 Instances Where Panels Detached In-Flight
Citing numerous instances over the past several years in which
engine fan cowls have taken flight of their own accord -- and right
off a number of Airbus A320-Family aircraft, and Bombardier CRJ
models -- on Friday the National Transportation Safety Board issued
four new recommendations for the Federal Aviation Administration
(which all boil down to, essentially, "make sure the damn
things are attached properly before flight" --
Ed.)
"The issue of engine fan cowl separations has been an ongoing
problem," the Board writes. "The Safety Board reviewed records from
Bombardier, Airbus, foreign investigations, and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) service difficulty reports (SDRs) related to
engine fan cowl separations. This review found that, since 1992,
there have been 15 events involving Airbus SA model airplanes,
including the 3 Airbus SA events cited in this letter; another 26
engine fan cowl separations occurred on 17 different airplane
models since 1992. In addition, Board queries to Bombardier
revealed 33 domestic and foreign cases of engine fan cowl
separations (including 6 cases in 2007 alone), dating back to
January 2001."
The NTSB thus recommended the FAA:
Require all operators of Airbus
single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to revise
existing aircraft maintenance manual procedures and maintenance
inspection documents to require a dual inspection signoff to
confirm that engine fan cowls are latched after completing any
engine maintenance that involves the opening of an engine fan cowl.
(A-08-79)
Require all operators of Airbus
single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to require
maintenance personnel to inform flight crews when engine fan cowls
have been opened before flight. (A-08-80)
Require all operators of Airbus
single-aisle and Bombardier CL-600 airplane models to provide
guidance to maintenance personnel and flight crews on how to
inspect engine fan cowls to verify that they are latched properly.
(A-08-81)
Determine the extent of the problem of
engine fan cowl separations on all airplanes and, should a
widespread problem exist for any airplanes, require operators of
those airplanes to include a dual inspection signoff in their
maintenance procedures to confirm that engine fan cowls are latched
after completing any engine maintenance that involves the opening
of an engine fan cowl. (A-08-82)
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