DGCA identifies GTF gearbox issue

The DGCA has identified a new problem with the main gearbox in the Pratt&Whitney geared turbofan. There have been 42 premature engine removals to date with the PW1100G engine. It's one of two engine options for the A320neo. Of the previous 41 engine removals, 28 were identified as being caused by distress in a carbon-air seal for the #3 bearing, and 13 caused by degraded combustion chambers.

This is the same engine that caused Qatar to reject delivery of their A320neo aircraft. The time between shutdown and restart is too long for their operations, and they've turned to Boeing for more 737s to make up the loss of the neo aircraft. The DGCA has ordered a borescope after 1,000 hours, instead of the previous 1,500 hours, and an immediate grounding of any aircraft that has a metal chip warning with a gearbox failure. Previously they were allowed to operate for 10 hours.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified the first known incident involving the gearbox of the PW1100G geared turbofan engine on the Airbus A320neo.

A “main gearbox failure” caused one of 42 premature engine removals so far of PW1100G-powered A320neos, according to the DGCA. The failure was “detected as a metal chip warning”.

The new issue was revealed in a one-page brief about the PW1100G engine posted on Twitterby Tarun Shukla, an Indian journalist for Mint, the financial newspaper of the Hindustan Times. A DGCA spokesperson provided Shukla with the document, Shukla confirms to FlightGlobal.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

It's the RB211 all over again. Teething problems early on, that may well take P&W to the ropes financially. When it works, though, and it will, it will be the basis of all future P&W designs for the next half century and be the thing that takes them from the sidelines to being the premier high-bypass turbofan manufacturer for the commercial market, just as the three-spool similarly transformed Rolls Royce's fortunes.

Then again, the RB211's teething problems were enough to knock Lockheed out of the passenger aircraft market for good. I wouldn't want to be the airframe builder that's relying on the GTF to keep the lights on, and I'm fearing a little bit for Bombardier in the face of this.

On the other hand, this technology seems on track to mature completely just as Boeing will have a single-aisle product or two that can actually take advantage of it, and at the same time that frustrated A320NEO airlines are lining up to make the 737MAX even more profitable than it already is. This should be fun to watch.

Holy duplicates, Batman!

And another one, thanks Comcast for the intermittently laggy internet.

After suffering 4 engine failures in a week, the DGCA has ordered IndiGo to change every GTF engine in their fleet. They have 13 weeks to perform 196 engine changes.

simpleflying.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58


Oof. I wonder if they're popping champagne bottles in Everett?

Also, that "bombardier" post didn't age well.

originally posted by: Barnalby
a reply to: Zaphod58


Oof. I wonder if they're popping champagne bottles in Everett?

Also, that "bombardier" post didn't age well.

I doubt it. Boeing crapped the bed on the MAX and I don't see orders marching in for a while. 737 NG aircraft yes