MALAYSIA- Amidst ongoing reports concerning the grounding of Air Tanzania (TC)’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Malaysia for the past seven months due to maintenance issues, Ladislaus Matindi, Director General of ATCL, has revealed a critical issue pertaining to Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
Commenting on media reports surrounding the grounded ATCL aircraft, Mr. Matindi highlighted concerns regarding the design of Rolls-Royce engines. “There appears to be a design flaw with Rolls-Royce engines, warranting further investigation into the matter,” he remarked.
Boeing 787 Engine Issues
As per insights from the Aviation Nuggets website, these engines, specifically identified as Trent 1000 Package C, have encountered persistent challenges attributed to fatigue induced by corrosion.
This corrosion has subsequently led to the emergence of cracks in the mid-pressure turbine spools. Such deficiencies present considerable risks of engine malfunction.
“The necessity for heightened inspection rates has reduced inspection intervals from 200 flights to 80 flights. Consequently, this increase in inspections amplifies maintenance costs and reduces aircraft availability,” emphasized the website and is flagged by The Citizen.
Currently, Air Tanzania’s fleet of 14 aircraft includes two Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Boeing and RR aware of the Issue
In a report submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing revealed that the engine manufacturer recently identified a resonant response in the second-stage intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) spool caused by specific airflow conditions within the engine during high-power operations under particular temperature conditions.
In response, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an inspection mandate covering Trent 1000-A, Trent 1000-AE, Trent 1000-C, Trent 1000-CE, Trent 1000-D, Trent 1000-E, Trent 1000-G, and Trent 1000-H engines.
Furthermore, the FAA of the United States implemented restrictions on Dreamliners Model 787-8 and 787-9, irrespective of certification category, equipped with Rolls-Royce plc (RR) engines.
In their official statement, Rolls-Royce announced, “As part of our routine inspection and testing of these engines, we have chosen to conduct additional inspections beyond the originally planned scope.”
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