Fri, Nov 12, 2010
Component Which Cause Oil Fire Identified
Rolls-Royce says it has identified the Trent 900 engine
component which it believes caused the failure of an engine on the
Airbus A380 operating as Qantas flight QF32 on 4 November 2010.
In a statement released to the media, Rolls-Royce says that
immediately following the incident, a series of engine checks was
introduced on the Trent 900s to understand the cause and to ensure
safe operation. They were conducted in parallel with a "rigorous
examination" of all available evidence, including data from the
damaged engine and its monitoring system, analysis of recovered
material and interrogation of the fleet history.
The investigations have led the company to draw two key
conclusions. First, as previously announced, the issue is specific
to the Trent 900. Secondly, the failure was confined to a specific
component in the turbine area of the engine. This caused an oil
fire, which led to the release of the intermediate pressure turbine
disc.
The company said its process of inspection will continue and
will be supplemented by the replacement of the relevant module
according to an agreed program. "These measures, undertaken in
collaboration with Airbus, our Trent 900 customers and the
regulators have regrettably led to some reduction in aircraft
availability. This program will enable our customers progressively
to bring the whole fleet back into service," the statement
says.
Trent 900 Engine
"Safety is the highest priority of Rolls-Royce," said
Rolls-Royce CEO Sir John Rose. "This has been demonstrated by the
rapid and prudent action we have taken following the Trent 900
incident. We have instigated a programme of measures in
collaboration with Airbus, our Trent 900 customers and the
regulators. This will enable our customers progressively to bring
the whole fleet back into service. We regret the disruption we have
caused."
Rolls-Royce said it is cooperating fully with the government
authorities investigating the incident.
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