Following the issuance of an Airworthiness Directive by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Pratt & Whitney will inspect the fan blades on all PW4000-112 powered Boeing 777s, prior to their return to service.
On Tuesday evening (February 23, 2021), Pratt & Whitney published an update regarding actions to be taken following an uncontained engine failure on United Airlines flight 328, which occurred upon climb out from Denver on Saturday February 20, 2021. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) requiring the inspection of fan blades on all Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112” powered Boeing 777s, totaling approximately 125 aircraft, prior to their return to service.
The inspection process will require the shipment of the fan blades to Pratt & Whitney where a Thermal Acoustic Imaging (TAI) inspection will be utilized to confirm airworthiness. The inspections will be performed by Pratt & Whitney’s FAA authorized repair station. The AD only applies to the fan blades of PW4000-112 engines, as they are unique to this engine type. Pratt & Whitney’s utmost priority is the safe operation of the fleet, and the company is coordinating all actions with Boeing, airline operators and aviation regulators. The company commends the flight crew of United Airlines Flight 328 for their professionalism.
A division of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), Pratt & Whitney is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines and auxiliary power units (APUs) for commercial, military, regional, business and general aviation aircraft. Pratt & Whitney is known for their innovative technologies such as the Geared Turbofan (GTF) commercial aircraft engine and the PW800 business jet engine. In 2020, the company celebrated their 95th year in business.
Source: Pratt & Whitney