GF A320 grounded due to corrosion in engine pylon

[vomit comet]

a320 grounded due corrosion in engine pylon confirmed by engineer:ouch:

[brassplate]

first the 767s, now the a320s. don't the engineers see these things occurring well in advance? or do they just dab a coat of paint over these areas as they are seen? if it is the latter, these are criminal acts that must be investigated and punished severly. i'm surprised they haven't done anything about gamco with their maintenance of the 767s. someone must be held to account before these negligent bastards kill people!!!!

[Panama Jack]

Chill brassplate. Without knowing greater details, my reaction is "they caught it."

I know of one major, well reputed airline (with a good reputation for maintenance) a few years ago who also found corrosion on one of their airplanes and grounded it.

It happens.

[brassplate]

they had better ground the offending aircraft then and out of safety, not with the fear of another pr blunder.

[DesertHawk]

panama, i thin it is great they caught it, but......

1.maintenance attitude from all people at this airline is attrocious,as long as it gets out dont worry is the modo. no forthought goes into things. there have been many occasions on 320 where ASR were raised and nothing happens only to have the same aircraft have the same problem days later and create a major problem ie pan pan calls etc.... just no serious efforts "were" being made. now with these new guys they are hiring i heard of maybe things will get better. it is not just the guys it si the airlines attitude!!!

[deser_ rat]

Brassplate... grow up ! Wow, there is a A320 aircraft grounded with corrosion in an engine pylon.... !! please supply more information...

Ok I do not know the details behind this story but would love to find out more... but from what I know about the A320 engine pylons they are made mostly made from stainless steel and titanium alloys which are very resistant to corrosion but the aft fixed fairing and moveable fairings are made from 2024 aluminium that in this area suffer from corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement due the hot enviroment. If this is the case the corrosion is common for all A320 series aircraft and is not primary structure and your engineer that grounded the aircraft is probably being very cautious and observant and you should thank him.

I have seen VERY serious corrosion in this area that had been overlooked by engineers for many months/years but still on total failure would not have affected the satety of the flight.

If you have so little confidence in your maintenance staff why do you still fly the aircraft??

[brassplate]

normally, i don't even reply to people with one post. but in this case, i'll make an exception because i think you are one of those engineers.
let me just say that gf pilots are generally fed up with the state our aircrafts are in. they are fed up with the book full of items that simply should have been fixed. they are fed up with the negotiating that shouldn't take place regarding no-go items. and they are fed up that at the end of the day, we are the ones at the pointed end of the aircraft bearing all the responsibilities while lazy engineers are having their chai and biscuit break safely on terra-firma.
i may be overreacting but my attitude towards you guys i'm afraid is bordering on distrust, disdain, hell downright hatred.
your statement regarding why i fly your crappy aircrafts? because i have to most of the time, mel permitting. it's my job, sh#t for brains!! you have seen very serious corrosion, have you? shall we wait a little longer so we can see serious corrosion as well?

[saddlebrooks]

An engineer only signs off what they have been paid to do, so if an engineer told GF days/months/years ago a problem existed however the contract didn't cover that it went unwritten.

The responsibility does not souly lay on the engineer. It is the responsibility to convey the information to the contractee, what they do with it after that is their responsibility.

9.9 times out of ten the engineering company has been hired for a specific job and not issues beyond that.

To pass the blame of issues such as this on the contracted engineer is just deflecting the responsibility of safe operations from the accountable person.

JH just saving another riyal for the books.

[brassplate]

great, legal mumbo jumbo. what are we as pilots supposed to do then? solutions to this dilemma, anyone? i'm sorry i'm taking a lot out on the gingerbeers but what are we supposed to do with this? just don't go? if that were to happen, i'm afraid most of the 320s ain't going nowhere.

[Joe Monsoon]

Me thinking and thinking i go sick whats number to GF sick thing :cool:Bp well D:ok:NOw Dr:ugh: Thats IT am GOING HOME:E

[tbaylx]

Bullcrap saddle,

An engineer sighns off the airworthiness of the aircraft as well as any work that he has performed. If he's aware of anything that may affect the airworthiness of the aircraft he can't/won't/shouldn't sign the realease to service.

[vomit comet]

just heard that corrosion is in the cargo hold as well! :eek:

[brassplate]

not surprised at all vc. have a look at how long cargo hold problems have been written up when you're at dispatch next...nearly every one of those a320's have something regarding the holds...seals broken, floor boards missing, etc etc. they don't fix these relatively simple issues which eventually become as hazardous as the arse end falling out of them. it's the entire story of how these aircrafts are being looked after...a lot of small items which end up being the catalyst of far bigger problems!!

[ironbutt57]

My concern is...do we have a "Value Jet in the making" does our MRO(SR Technic), or regulatory authority certify the contract engineers qualifications, or is it left to the individuals concerned ???

[brassplate]

my concern is we have all the ingredients that puts airlines on cnn for the wrong reasons.

[stefan1138]

Hi Everybody, I am new to this site. A couple of years ago I worked for Gulf Air Cargo. I am still very much interested in the company (although sometimes I don´t know why - there are certainly better airlines around).

Will this A320 be grounded for a longer period? Will it eventually be replaced by another A320?

Thx for info!

[vomit comet]

hello boys another nice one for u corrosion in the area around wing spar:E

[brassplate]

speaking about cnn, another accident in sao paolo. pilot error cause so far.

[Panama Jack]

Seems to me that Bahrain and the Gulf area in general are pretty bad as far as exposing aircraft to corrosion.

Besides the obvious salt content in the air from the sea, there is also a problem with SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide), a corrosive bi-product form the petroleum industry's flaring of the poisonous/flamable gases. I would think the A320's are more exposed to this threat, due to the amount of time they spend in the Gulf and on the ground (shorter legs, therefore more ground time and time flying at lower altitudes).

[aulglarse]

engineers, wasn't there an AIRBUS tech memo in regards to the special adhesives used in the pylons re heat treatment during initial application? pilots were warned to stick to manouevring speeds during severe turb...

[Panama Jack]

By definition, should be flying any aircraft at maneuvering speed in severe turbulence.

[jackbauer]

Hey Assplate stop being an irritating ilinformed nob. It's the same with all your posts!! Get a girlfriend or something.

[Albergineman]

I agree with you JB.
Now he is veering towards a different direction while distilling his poison before to be injected into somebody else: how experienced are people coming from "that part of the world" called by himself as "bargain pilots" due to an accident in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Considering the fact that there are some pilots that came from "that part of the world" (captains and first officers) that for sure operated in CGH, I cannot measure how offended by brassplate and sad about their mates they can be now. Maybe they knew the operating crew, maybe they were their friends or relatives, who knows?
The same feeling people from Bahrain very likely felt when an GF A320 flew in to the see.
By the way, were the GF 072 pilots "bargain pilots"?

Very disappointing brassplate and do not jump into conclusions!

[aulglarse]

Well PJ when/if you fly jets you'll realise sometimes it may take a short while to increase or decrease airspeed to achieve Va.. strictly adhered to this speed which not all pilots may achieve, eg, what may be thought of as temporary bump/patch or "she'll be right" is not good enough according to the 'definition' ,so according to Airbus, they hand this memo out to cover their arse in the interim.

[Panama Jack]

Ah, OK. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind if/when I fly jets. :(

The whole point of my statement is (and I don't know exactly how fragile the engine pylons are on the A320) is that aerodynamically, if you are above Va, and in Severe or Extreme turbulence, it is not only the Engine Pylons that can be in trouble. This is why we slow down to the Turbulence Penetration speed when ripples start forming in the coffee. But yes, if you get slammed by a sledge-hammer flying above these speeds (and this applies to any aircraft), you can face structural damage, and not necessarily only limited to engine pylons.

I am not trying to be a jerk. I am just stating these observations which are taught in private pilot aerodynamics. Sounds like Airbus' statement is the aviation equivalent of printing on the side of a McDonald's coffee cup "Caution- HOT!"

[brassplate]

JackmeoffBauer and alboogeyman, you can both kiss my toosh. sure, i've played the devil's advocate. only time will tell how right i've been. poison, is that what you call it? interesting, you think pilots will be affected? i post what i like, when i like. and i ain't stopping any time soon. as for gf, leaving won't come sooner. look at all the negative post on gf. this post is one of them. check the otp? non existent. conditions of the aircrafts, probably the worst 767s and airbusses on earth, not exagerating. i may be vague on details but the results speak for themselves unless you've got your head so far up managements behind you could travel with them for free. so defend the company if you want. soon, i won't have to struggle with it any more. i feel for those who have no choice and have to put up with it.

[Albergineman]

Brassplate, do not act uncool or screw something up by be being stupid!
Boy, you ain't nothin' but some yellow tooshy-moosh!

:ugh:

[brassplate]

the only thing i screwed up was joining gf. judging by the number of posts you've made, odds on you're part of management. which gives me the perfect opportunity to say to you YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HAS SCREWED UP!!!! if you call me yellow for not wanting to fly those planes that are barely airworthy, then i'm yellow. if it is for leaving a company that is quickly becoming unsafe in your hands, then i'm yellow. in both cases, i'm more than happy to be yellow.

[jackbauer]

Like I said Assplate, get a girlfriend or a hobby. You spend too much time thinking.