FAA To Require Inspection Of Some Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines

FAA has filed an emergency airworthiness directive on Pratt & Whitney's controversial geared turbofan (GTF) engines.

The United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive that is interim and requires that engine operators of Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM and PW1400G-JM geared turbofans do an ultrasound inspection of the engines’ first-stage and second-stage hubs. The concern is that if the hubs are cracked, the engine could fall apart in flight.

According to the FAA, the latest airworthiness directive was triggered when on December 24, 2022, an Airbus A320neo powered by PW1127GA-JM engines – a member of the PW1100G-JM engine family – had an aborted take-off due to a high-pressure compressor (HPC) 7th-stage integrally bladed rotor (IBR-7) separation where the fan blade came off of the hinges.

One does not want a loose fan blade in a hot, rotating turbofan engine. Or, as the FAA put matters in the airworthiness directive;

This condition, if not addressed, could result in uncontained disk failure, release of high-energy debris, damage to the engine, damage to the airplane, and loss of the airplane. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

As such, the FAA ordered an inspection of the first-stage and second-stage high-pressure turbines (HPTs). The order is well covered by the FAA’s authorization to regulate aviation safety in the United States.

Read our guide to the FAA’s main responsibilities.

In the FAA’s airworthiness directive, the FAA estimated only 20 engines on US-registered aircraft would be impacted, and it appears, according to the ch-aviation.com database, those impacted US-registered aircraft are in the Spirit Airlines fleet. According to the airworthiness directive, the FAA also estimated that the cost in time will be 100 work hours to conduct the ultrasound inspections and a financial cost of $170,000 per stage for a total financial cost of $340,000 per engine.

If the 1st-stage or 2nd-stage hubs need to be replaced, the cost per part will be an additional $171,000 for one hour. The FAA presumes all labor costs to be at the rate of $85 an hour.

All of this adds to Spirit CEO Ted Christie’s concerns where CEO Christie fumigated on the 2nd quarter earnings call,

"This new issue is yet another frustrating and disappointing development.”

Already seven of Spirit Airlines’ A320neos are grounded following the Labor Day weekend until the end of the year. However, inspections normally take only up to eight weeks or about two months, so the aircraft may be airworthy sooner than the end of 2023.

Additionally, according to an August 18 Reuters report, only 202 engines or 101 aircraft worldwide would need such inspections. Those aircraft outside the United States will most likely be from Air New Zealand and Wizz Air’s fleets, plus possibly India’s IndiGo.

The Airbus A320neo family's geared turbofan engines have received airworthiness directives before. Such was the case with CFM engines having similar HPT issues. CFM is a partnership between General Electric Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.

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There are also ongoing problems with all Pratt & Whitney geared turbofans. Although the GTFs reduce the need for jet fuel per trip by 20%, the engines must be airworthy.

Additionally, the FAA’s airworthiness directive is only the beginning of efforts to rectify the issues. On July 26th, Pratt & Whitney announced that around 1,200 of the company's 3,000 Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines would have to be recalled for further inspection of microscopic cracks caused due to a rare condition in the powdered metal used to make the engines' high-pressure turbine disks.

The Pratt & Whitney PW-1100G-JM family of engines are geared turbofan engines. According to the manufacturer’s brochure, geared turbofan engines reduce fuel burn, noise, and emissions – all matters of concern to airports airlines connect. Finally, the engines have been tested to operate on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

What are your takeaways? Please share with civility in the comments.

Sources: ch-aviation.com, FAA Airworthiness Directive, Pratt & Whitney, Reuters

Journalist - When not reading and writing about aviation, Joe is photographing it. Joe Loves educating the public about aviation, and generating enthusiasm around flying while supporting all those who work in aviation. Based in Skagit County, United States