Virgin Blue and Qantas quick to check 737s after blaze
A report in The Australian says that Australian airlines have moved quickly to check more than 80 newer Boeing 737s for a fault believed to be responsible for the spectacular fire that destroyed a China Airlines plane in Japan last week.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority on Tuesday issued an airworthiness directive ordering Qantas and Virgin Blue to check the wing slats to make sure a nut was not loose.
Wing slats slide out from the front of the wing during landings and takeoffs to help stabilise the aircraft and give it extra lift.
The problem is in a part called the track downstop assembly, which limits how far the slats can slide out. Investigators in Japan found that a bolt from the right wing downstop assembly had pierced the fuel tank of the China Airlines plane and caused the fire.
The plane’s 165 passengers evacuated seconds before it was consumed by flames. The US Federal Aviation Administration said there had also been a case where leaking fuel was discovered after a nut fell off the downstop assembly and punctured the slat housing wall of one of the planes.
The airlines have been given 24 days to inspect the planes and replace any missing or incorrectly installed parts, as well as check for foreign objects.
They are also required to ensure the nut of the assembly was tightened using the appropriate torque. Qantas said it had already inspected all 33 of its 737-800s and found no safety issues.
Qantas head of engineering David Cox said the airline had inspected its planes as soon as Boeing had alerted it to the issue.
“This action was taken in advance of the FAA’s formal recommendation as is normal Qantas procedure in cases this serious,” Mr Cox said.
Virgin said it began inspections as soon as the notice was issued.
US reports said Boeing knew of four instances where the nut had come loose and had issued a service bulletin to all operators in 2005 telling them to make sure it was tightened.
The bulletin was updated as recently as last month.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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