Latest news with #enginefailure
The Independent
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
NTSB issues urgent warning about engines on some Boeing and Airbus planes
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued an ' urgent safety recommendation ' regarding engines used in some Airbus and Boeing passenger jets. The recommendations concern the CFM International LEAP-1B engines used in Airbus A32neo and Boeing 737 Max narrow-body jets. In a statement on Wednesday, the transit regulator warned that the engine's load reduction device, a safety feature designed to reduce vibrations transmitted from a damaged engine to the main airframe, can impact the engine's oil system. 'Such a condition can allow smoke from hot oil to enter the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin,' the NTSB warned. 'We are aligned with the NTSB's recommendations and the work is already underway, in close partnership with our airframers, to enhance the capability of this important system,' a CFM spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. The board's recommendation stemmed from a December 2023 incident, in which a Southwest flight on a Boeing 737-8 jet leaving New Orleans filled with smoke after its left engine ingested a bird. 'The flight deck filled with what the crew described as 'acrid white smoke' so thick that the captain had difficulty seeing the instrument panel,' the safety board wrote. 'The crew donned masks, were able to clear the smoke, and landed the airplane back in New Orleans. None of the crew or passengers were injured.' The Wednesday alert cited a similar incident featuring a Southwest flight departing Havana, Cuba, earlier that year. The safety board has requested that the Federal Aviation Administration ensure operators inform flight crews about jets equipped with the affected engines. Boeing has revised its flight manuals to prepare pilots to prevent smoke from entering the cockpit or cabin when the load reduction device is activated. The safety board has also asked flight regulators in Europe and China to determine if other variants of the CFM LEAP engine are susceptible to the same issues, and has asked the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency to incorporate software modifications developed by CFM and Boeing. One of the impacted jets is the Boeing 737 Max, the same plane that crashed twice between 2018 and 2019, killing 346 and causing a temporary grounding of the model until a flight sensor system could be redesigned. In May, the Justice Department reached a deal with the aerospace giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading regulators about the Max. The recommendations come at a time of heightened concern regarding the safety of the US air transit system, after a series of high-profile aviation disasters this year, including a mid-air collision above a Washington, D.C.-area airport, and a plane crash in Philadelphia, as well as air traffic control issues around major hubs like Newark.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Air India Dreamliner made emergency landing in 2023 after engine failure
An Air India Boeing 787 identical to the plane that crashed last week made an emergency landing in 2023 after engine failure caused by poor maintenance. The airliner was forced to turn back an hour into its 14-hour flight between Mumbai and London, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. The 2023 engine failure, together with news that India's aviation regulator has only half the number of staff it should be employing, will raise fresh questions about flight safety standards across the subcontinent. Pilots flying the Dreamliner during the August 2023 incident said they heard a 'loud thud' immediately before the left engine lost power, the DGCA's investigation report said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of last Thursday's disaster, said he heard a 'loud noise' immediately before Air India flight AI171 crashed. His seat, 11A, was near the Boeing's left engine. Investigators looking into the 2023 engine failure discovered that the Boeing's left-hand engine, made by the US company General Electric, failed after a turbine blade was incorrectly bolted in during routine maintenance and then broke loose. General Electric, which inspected the failed engine on the DGCA's behalf, concluded that the 'release' of a high-pressure compressor blade 'had occurred due to improper installation of locking lugs of HPC Stage 10'. News of an engine failure with potential similarities to the events leading up to the deadly Ahmedabad crash came amid claims that the Indian air safety watchdog was suffering a manpower crisis. The DGCA had less than half the staff in place needed to ensure safety, and Indian parliamentarians said three months ago that they had 'fundamental concerns' about the shortages. The watchdog is responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight, and the enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards, including inspections. A report by the Indian parliament's transport committee found that of the 1,633 posts comprising the 'sanctioned strength' of the watchdog, only 754 were filled, leaving 879 vacancies. 'The committee notes with serious concern the high number of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, particularly in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and the Airports Authority of India,' the report said. 'The DGCA, responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight, has a vacancy rate exceeding 53 per cent, raising fundamental concerns about its capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.' It said that at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, tasked with maintaining aviation security, nearly 35 per cent of jobs were unfilled, 'posing risks to the robustness of security oversight at airports'. Similarly, at the Airports Authority of India, which manages critical airport infrastructure and air traffic services, unfilled job vacancies impacted operational efficiency and airport expansion. 'The committee is deeply concerned that chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise. 'The committee urges the Ministry of Civil Aviation to expedite the recruitment process to fill vacancies across DGCA, BCAS, and AAI, ensuring that regulatory oversight, security enforcement, and airport operations are not compromised.' Last Friday, the DGCA issued a notice to Air India to conduct more inspections of all of its 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with GE engines. This includes an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take-off parameters. 'Power assurance checks' are also to be done on each airliner within two weeks. The DCGA and General Electric were contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Identical Air India Dreamliner to one in devastating crash had mid air engine failure and was forced to make emergency landing in 2023
An identical Air India plane to the one in last week's devastating crash was forced to make an emergency landing in 2023 after its engine gave way mid-air. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was forced to turn back an hour into its 14-hour flight two years ago between Mumbai and London, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Pilots flying the plane in August 2023 reported hearing a 'loud thud' immediately before the left engine lost power due to poor maintenance. The revelation also comes amid findings India's aviation regulator has only half the number of staff it should be employing. In an eerily similar account given by Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of last Thursday's disaster recalled a 'loud noise' immediate before Air India flight AI171 crashed. His seat, 11A, was near the Boeing's left engine. Investigators looking into the 2023 engine failure have now determined the Boeing's left-hand engine, made by the US company General Electric, failed after a turbine blade was incorrectly bolted in during routine maintenance and then broke loose. It was concluded the 'release' of a high-pressure compressor blade 'had occurred due to improper installation of locking lugs of HPC Stage 10'. The DGCA was also found to have less than half the staff in place with Indian parliamentarians saying three months ago they had 'fundamental concerns'. A report by the Indian parliament's transport committee found of 1,633 available posts only 754 were filled – leaving 879 vacancies. It read: 'The committee notes with serious concern the high number of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, particularly in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and the Airports Authority of India. 'The DGCA, responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight, has a vacancy rate exceeding 53 per cent, raising fundamental concerns about its capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.' It added nearly 35 per cent of jobs were unfilled at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security - tasked with maintaining aviation security - and this was 'posing risks to the robustness of security oversight at airports'. Concerns were also voiced by the Airports Authority of India, which manages critical airport infrastructure and air traffic services, that unfilled job vacancies were impacting operational efficiency and airport expansion. A spokesman said: 'The committee is deeply concerned that chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise. 'The committee urges the Ministry of Civil Aviation to expedite the recruitment process to fill vacancies across DGCA, BCAS, and AAI, ensuring that regulatory oversight, security enforcement, and airport operations are not compromised.' Last Friday, the DGCA issued a notice to Air India ordering more inspections of all of its 787‑8 and 787‑9 fleet with GE engines. This included an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take‑off parameters. There is also a requirement to carry out 'power assurance checks' on each airliner within two weeks.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Identical Air India Dreamliner made emergency landing in 2023 after engine failure
An Air India Boeing 787, identical to the plane that crashed last week, made an emergency landing in 2023 after engine failure caused by poor maintenance. The airliner was forced to turn back just an hour into its planned 14-hour flight between Mumbai and London, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. The 2023 engine failure, together with news that India's aviation regulator has just half the number of staff it should be employing, will raise fresh questions about flight safety standards across the subcontinent. Pilots flying the Dreamliner during the August 2023 incident said they heard a 'loud thud' immediately before the left engine lost power, the DGCA's investigation report said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of last Thursday's disaster, said that he heard a 'loud noise' immediately before Air India flight AI171 crashed. His seat, 11A, was near the Boeing's left engine. Investigators looking into the 2023 engine failure discovered that the Boeing's left-hand engine, made by US company General Electric, failed after a turbine blade was incorrectly bolted in during routine maintenance and then broke loose. General Electric, which inspected the failed engine on the DGCA's behalf, concluded the 'release' of a high-pressure compressor blade 'had occurred due to improper installation of locking lugs of HPC Stage 10.' News of an engine failure with potential similarities to the events leading up to last week's deadly Ahmedabad crash comes amid claims the Indian air safety watchdog is gripped by a manpower crisis. The DGCA had less than half the staff in place needed to ensure safety and Indian parliamentarians said they had 'fundamental concerns' about the shortages just three months ago. The watchdog is responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight and the enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards, including inspections. A report by the Indian parliament's transport committee found that of the 1,633 posts comprising the 'sanctioned strength' of the watchdog, only 754 positions were filled - leaving 879 vacancies. 'The Committee notes with serious concern the high number of vacancies across key aviation regulatory and operational bodies, particularly in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI),' it said. 'The DGCA, responsible for aviation safety and regulatory oversight, has a vacancy rate exceeding 53 percent, raising fundamental concerns about its capacity to enforce aviation safety standards effectively.' It said that at BCAS, which is tasked with maintaining aviation security, nearly 35 per cent of jobs were unfilled, 'posing risks to the robustness of security oversight at airports'. Similarly, at the AAI which manages critical airport infrastructure and air traffic services, unfilled job vacancies impacted operational efficiency and airport expansion. 'The Committee is deeply concerned that chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise,' the report said. 'The Committee urges the Ministry of Civil Aviation to expedite the recruitment process to fill vacancies across DGCA, BCAS, and AAI, ensuring that regulatory oversight, security enforcement, and airport operations are not compromised.' Last Friday, the DGCA issued a notice to Air India to conduct more inspections of all of its 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with GE engines. This includes an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take-off parameters. 'Power assurance checks' are also to be done on each airliner within two weeks. The DCGA and General Electric were contacted for comment.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
No survivors expected in Air India plane crash carrying 242 people
Watch John Gradek from McGill University says there is nothing that indicated engine failure, and it appears the crew was 'fighting for control of the airplane' by the way it went down.
