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Regulator suspends operations of ANA and JAL 777-200s equipped with PW4000 engines
February 22nd 2021
Japan’s Ministry of Transport has halted flights of 777 aircraft powered with the same Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series engines involved in a United Airlines (UA) incident in the U.S. over the weekend. Read More » The MoT said yesterday All Nippon Airways had 19 aircraft equipped with the P&W engines and Japan Airlines 13. The regulator called for an increase in frequency inspections of the engine type and a strengthening of those inspections.
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator, Steve Dickson, has issued an emergency airworthiness directive calling for "immediate or stepped up inspections" of 777s equipped with PW4000s. "This will likely mean some airplanes will be removed from service," he said.
Pratt &Whitney has sent staff to work with the U. S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the investigation of the engine fire onboard UA328 shortly after it took off from Denver en route to Honolulu. "Pratt & Whitney is actively coordinating with operators and regulators to support the revised inspection interval of the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines that power Boeing 777 aircraft," the engine maker said in a statement today.
Boeing is monitoring events and recommending suspension of the aircraft. It noted there were 69 of the type powered by the engine in service and 59 in storage. "We are working with these regulators as they take actions while these planes are on the ground and further inspections are conducted by Pratt & Whitney," Boeing said.
