1,400 GE Jet Engines to Get Safety Checks
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered maintenance examinations of 1,400 jet engines built by General Electric Co. for potentially hazardous cracks that have led to at least one airline accident.
The FAA’s concern is with GE’s CF6 engine, which uses a series of pressurized discs, known as compressor spools, to hold engine blades together. These spools are prone to developing cracks.
GE spokesman Rick Kennedy said on Monday that about 300 CF6 engines will be examined earlier than their scheduled maintenance dates. The CF6 engines are used on Boeing’s 747, 767, DC-10 and MD-11 jets and on Airbus Industrie’s A300, A310 and A330 planes.
In June, the engine failed on a Varig Brasil Airlines 767 during takeoff from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The plane caught fire after takeoff and four people were injured.
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