Explosion closes British test site for jet engines

Rolls-Royce Group temporarily closed a site used to test jet engines for Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner model and the rival Airbus SAS A350 after a turbine blew up on the test bed.

The failure of the Trent 1000 engine, which powers the Dreamliner, resulted in “limited debris being released into the test facility,” Rolls-Royce spokesman Josh Rosenstock said in a telephone interview. Minor repairs to the site in Derby, England, will be completed shortly, he said.

The incident occurred as Boeing races to deliver the first of its flagship Dreamliner around the end of the year. The composite-skin aircraft has been delayed for several years. Both aircraft makers said they were in touch with suppliers and didn’t expect the engine failure to affect their testing plans.

The European Aviation Safety Agency, which must sign off on new aircraft and components developed in the region, said it sent an official to England after the test-bed incident. The malfunction occurred Aug. 2 and was a so-called uncontained failure, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Alison Duquette. That means pieces of debris would have been flung out at high speed, piercing the housing.

“We can confirm that we have been notified by Rolls-Royce, and we are working with the company to make sure the engine is certified to the highest possible standard,” said Jeremie Teahan, an EASA spokesman in Cologne, Germany.

Rolls-Royce, the world’s second-biggest maker of aircraft engines, could switch testing of the Trent 1000 and the Trent XWB designed for the A350 wide-body to other sites around the world. A single 787 engine costs $17 million, and the XWB is Rolls’ fastest-selling Trent model, with more than 1,000 on order.

The Dreamliner’s debut has been pushed back more than two years because of parts shortages, redesigns, the challenge of new materials and heavier reliance on suppliers than with previous models. Boeing recently said that service entry may slide into 2011 because of flaws with structures that keep the 787 steady.