Finds A Portion Of The Stage 8-10 Spool Failed

As part of its ongoing investigation into the September 8, 2015, engine fire during takeoff of British Airways flight 2276, a Boeing 777, at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, the NTSB has released additional information about the uncontained engine failure.

NTSB investigators disassembled and documented the GE90 engine at the GE facility in Evandale, Ohio. Group members from the FAA, GE, and Boeing, along with the United Kingdom’s accredited representative from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and their technical advisor, British Airways, were in attendance.

Engine examination revealed that a portion of the stage 8-10 spool in the high-pressure compressor (HPC) section had failed, liberating fragments that breached the engine case and cowling. Additional pieces of the HPC spool were recovered from inside the engine and retained for metallurgical examination.

The NTSB Materials Laboratory examined engine parts gathered from the scene. HPC parts recovered during the disassembly of the engine were examined at the GE facility. All pieces of the damaged stage 8 disk rim have been collected.

The fracture initiated in the HPC stage 8 disk web, a part of the stage 8-10 spool. The NTSB will continue metallurgical evaluations of the disk and the fracture features.

The NTSB said GE is performing high-priority, focused inspections of HPC hardware from other GE90 engines. The inspection data is being gathered to support the investigation and to determine further investigative actions.

Additional updates will be provided as new factual information is developed.

(Source: NTSB news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov