DERG wrote under the header
First Failure as follows, today at 12:38:
This is a 15-page document. Four pages in at paragraph 2.3.c there seems to me to be a failure to comply, in the matter of the spline damages. The AD's concerning this problem seem to identify it as having the potential to cause uncontained failure of major components of the turbine engine. The AD's further prescribe a program of extensive and frequent inspections, which at one time were down to every second cycle. What is the margin of safety in an every second cycle inspection program? Or for that matter, in an every 20-cycle inspection program-- is this the current revised inspection frequency possible under that program? (I'm having a little trouble keeping up, the changes come so fast.)
In any case, this handling of this spline problem appears to be either an "Engine design or operating restriction(s) that allow(s) and manage(s) accumulation of high-cycle fatigue damage for [a] component, [which is] not acceptable if the failure of that component would cause a hazardous engine effect. ..."
This would appear to preclude the operation of the Quantas 380's as now configured into LAX. I note that Qantas' appears to have no intent of doing so.
Have I missed something?
OE