MD-80 Operators Worldwide Notified of Problem

On Tuesday, ANN reported the massive travel delays in Japan caused by the grounding of some McDonnell Douglas jets. Japan Air System's MD-80 fleet is undergoing emergency inspections after cracks were found in some Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 engines used on this series of aircraft. Now, the US government is stepping in to monitor the situation and take domestic action, as necessary.

A FAA spokesman said the FAA is keeping an eye on the situation but say it is too early to order inspections of similar jetliners in the United States.

"We are aware of the situation and if we believe any action is warranted on our part we certainly wouldn't hesitate to take it," spokesman Les Dorr said.

Mechanics found a crack in a vane -- small, stationary blade -- in the 8th stage of the compressor on the jet engine. The company has not yet determined the cause of the cracks before deciding whether to broaden the inspections to other airlines.

The engine manufacturer says it has notified operators of MD-80s worldwide about the issue and is keeping them updated about the progress of the inspections. It expects to finish inspections of the Japan Airlines fleet on Wednesday.

Small cracks were found in 17 of the 34 engines inspected in Japan thus far, according to Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney.

The JT8D-200 Pratt & Whitney engine is the only engine used on the MD-80 series aircraft, and there are more than 1,000 of the aircraft worldwide.

FMI: www.pw.utc.com/prod_comm_jt8d.asp