FRANKFURT, 15 Oct 2017:
Pumps used to inflate emergency slides on some Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft may be damaged due to improper folding by maintenance crews that caused cracks or leaks in shutoff valves, Europe’s aviation regulator warned.
“The slide may not perform as required in an emergency evacuation scenario,” the European Aviation Safety Agency said in a bulletin published on its website.
It said it did not consider the issue to cause unsafe conditions on the affected aircraft but said it wanted to remind airlines and maintenance crews to follow instructions for folding and packing the emergency slides.
Separately, US aviation authorities have ordered visual inspections of fan hubs in engines used on some Airbus SE A380 jets after an engine came apart on an Air France flight last month, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Canada.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring owners and operators of Engine Alliance (EA) Model GP7200 series engines to visually inspect the engines and remove the fan hub if defects are found.
The EA engines are manufactured by a 50-50 joint venture between General Electric Co and United Technologies Corp’s Pratt & Whitney unit.
The FAA directive formalises advice circulated by the engine company on Thursday.
GP7200 engines account for 60% of the global market share of engines that power Airbus A380 superjumbos currently in service, said Corrine Png, CEO of transport research firm Crucial Perspective.
In addition to Air France, the affected airlines include Emirates – the world’s largest A380 operator – as well as Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Korean Air Lines Co.
The FAA said the directive, an interim measure, was prompted by the failure of the fan hub on the affected engine on the Air France aircraft.
“An investigation to determine the cause of the failure is on-going and we may consider additional rulemaking if final action is identified,” it said in a statement.
– Reuters