Boeing 777 and PW4000 engines

[Samuel Zerilli]

Since the engine incident of flight UAL328 and B747 of Longtail, Japan Airlines and ANA have prohibited planes that are equipped with the same engines, PW4000S engines from flying! An internal source would confirm this.

At the total: 32 planes are now grounded.

As a reminder, a similar incident occurred on one of the Japan Airlines planes in December 2020.(http://avherald.com/h?article=4e011c3a&opt=0)

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transp ... ngine-fire

[convair]

Did I see somewhere that United was retiring all its 777-200?

[convair]

Did I see somewhere that United was retiring all its 777-200?

No, sorry, it was Delta. Video report on this by MileHighMati in the "Airlines Experience" topic.

[longwings]

The FAA is ordering the acceleration of fan blade inspections for 777-200s with PW-4000 engines (772A). The accelerated schedule means the inspection is due before next flight for some aircraft, however Boeing has come out with a recommendation that all 772As be grounded before the inspection anyway.

United has already announced it is following Boeing's recommendation. Due to Covid, disruptions should be limited to a minimum. Nearly half of United's 772A fleet is idle on any given day, either long-term storage or parked for the day. There is enough slack in the in-service fleet of 777-200ERs and 788s to replace almost all of them.

Worldwide, about half the fleet of 777-200s with PW-4000 series engines is in service, with the other half in long-term storage, according to Boeing.

Did I see somewhere that United was retiring all its 777-200?

Not retired, but transferred to domestic service after a cabin retrofit more in line with their new mission.

[Samuel Zerilli]

Hello,

United is acting ahead of a forthcoming FAA emergency airworthiness directive and immediately removing its PW4000 series-powered 777s from service.

[TLspotting]

Korean Air grounds 6 777.

[TLspotting]

[Samuel Zerilli]

Last news :

-The United States Federal Aviation Administration is in the process of issuing an Emergency Airworthiness Directive ‘that would require immediate or stepped-up inspections of Boeing 777 airplanes equipped with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.’

-Boeing released a statement supporting the suspension of operations for the 69 in-service and 59 in-storage Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 powered 777s until the ‘FAA identifies the appropriate inspection protocol.’

-Pratt & Whitney released a statement that they are ‘actively coordinating with operators and regulators to support the revised inspection interval of the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines that power Boeing 777 aircraft.’

-The NTSB released a preliminary investigative update noting that the inlet and cowling separated from the engine of UA328 and that inspection of the fan revealed that two fan blades were fractured, one near the root and the other about mid-span. Additionally, ‘a portion of one blade was imbedded [sic] in the containment ring’ and the ‘remainder of the fan blades exhibited damage to the tips and leading edges’

[sn26567]

[sn26567]

EgyptAir grounded four B777-200 planes with P&W 4000-112 engines following recommendations by Boeing and the FAA.

South Korea has ordered its airlines to inspect B777 jets with PW4000 type engines, the transport ministry said.

[OO-JFP]

by sn26567 » 23 Feb 2021 04:47 pm
EgyptAir grounded four B777-200 planes with P&W 4000-112 engines following recommendations by Boeing and the FAA.

?? Egyptair has two B777-200 planes left and they are stored since Sep 2018. Not difficult to "ground" them.

OO-JFP

[sn26567]

Transport Canada may consider temporarily banning certain B777s from Canadian airspace depending on what investigators uncover about an engine fire that forced a B777 to land shortly after takeoff from Denver.

[PttU]

What about the PW4000 engine versions used on other aircraft, like the B747? Is the design of the PW4000-112 so specific this kind of damage can only occur there?

[Homo Aeroportus]

What about the PW4000 engine versions used on other aircraft, like the B747? Is the design of the PW4000-112 so specific this kind of damage can only occur there?

The PW4000 installed on B744 are the original variant having a smaller diameter fan, 96 inches.
Those concerned by the FAA Emergency AD are the -112 variant (112 inches dia fan) unique to the B777 (early -200 and -300, not -200LR and -300ER that are more commonly flying today).
https://www.faa.gov/news/media/attachme ... 0188-E.pdf

If the problem encountered by UA is due to a fan blade rupture, it seems logical to focus on these larger and most powerful engine variants.

H.A.

[sn26567]

Boeing was planning to strengthen the protective engine covers on its B777 jets months before a pair of recent serious failures.

Too late! Planning is not enough...

[MD-11forever]

A Rossiya Airlines 777 made an emergency landing in Moscow because of engine trouble, although it is powered by General Electric Co. turbines.