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!
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