Qantas B744 at Hong Kong on Oct 5th 2016, engine pylon cracks detected
Last Update: June 6, 2018 / 16:31:58 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 5, 2016
Classification
Report
Airline
Qantas
Aircraft Registration
VH-OJT
Aircraft Type
Boeing 747-400
ICAO Type Designator
B744
The ATSB released their final report concluding:
- The fatigue cracking in four outboard strut ribs in the No. 2 engine pylon is likely to have developed from exposure to vibratory loading within the pylon during normal engine operation over the aircraft’s service life.
- The extent of fatigue cracking in the ribs did not affect the structural integrity of the pylon for all certified load cases, which meant that the aircraft’s safe operation was not affected.
The ATSB reported the aircraft had been involved in a rejected takeoff on Jun 24th 2016 following the failure of the low pressure turbine of the #2 engine, which resulted in a high speed seizure of the engine causing siginficant vibration and torque loads to the pylon. The aircraft was attempting to depart for flight QF-27 from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Santiago (Chile).
However, the ATSB analysed: "Metallurgical analysis of the fracture at the crack origins did not show any evidence of plastic deformation or tearing of the alloy that might otherwise suggest that the seizure was a contributing factor to the cracking." (Editorial note: the ATSB had not investigated the rejected takeoff, the rejected takeoff also remained unknown to the AVH until now).
The ATSB reported:
Boeing’s ongoing maintenance requirements included an inspection of the engine pylon every 48 months. A general visual inspection within the torque box for corrosion damage was required along with a more detailed inspection for cracking of the ribs. The procedures noted that during the inspection, particular attention should be applied to the cutaway where stringers passed through each rib.
Qantas reported to the ATSB that several years prior to this occurrence, it had independently increased the frequency of the zonal inspections from 48 to 24 months due to repeated instances of corrosion and cracking damage within the pylon region. That new inspection interval was formalised by Qantas within its maintenance documentation for its 747 fleet.
The ATSB analysed:
When compared with the 48-month inspection interval recommended by the manufacturer, the 24-month inspection interval set by Qantas provided greater opportunity for the timely detection of cracking and other defects within the pylon. The reduced inspection interval proved effective in this case, detecting cracks before they reached a level considered by the manufacturer to be a safety risk.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 5, 2016
Classification
Report
Airline
Qantas
Aircraft Registration
VH-OJT
Aircraft Type
Boeing 747-400
ICAO Type Designator
B744
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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