Referring to the uncontained engine failure of an Qantas Airbus A380 on November 4, the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) today issued an Airworthiness Directive for all Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.
This applys to RB211 Trent 900 series engines, variants RB211 Trent 970-84, RB211 Trent 970B-84, RB211 Trent 972-84, RB211 Trent 972B-84, RB211 Trent 977-84, RB211 Trent 977B-84 and RB211 Trent 980-84, all serial numbers.
According to EASA, analysis of the preliminary elements from the incident investigation shows that an oil fire in the HP/IP structure cavity may have caused the failure of the Intermediate Pressure Turbine (IPT) Disc.
This airworthiness directive requires repetitive inspections of the Low PressureTurbine (LPT) stage 1 blades and case drain, HP/IP structure air buffer cavity and oil service tubes in order to detect any abnormal oil leakage, and if any discrepancy is found, to prohibit further engine operation.
While Qantas is committed to bringing its A380s back into service as soon as possible, the Australien flag carrier updated its schedule for its international network to ensure minimum disruption to passengers after the grounding of its Airbus A380 fleet.
Boeing 747s have been replaced by Airbus A330s on the Sydney to Narita route and A330s have been replaced by B767s on Perth to Singapore services. B747s have also been replaced by A330s on the Sydney to Hong Kong route. These changes will enable Qantas to operate 747s on long-haul international services previously operated by the A380.
Sources: EASA, Qantas