Borescope Interval
 

In the aviation section of today's The Australian a Qantas spokesman is quoted as stating:

"The last borescope inspection was July 8. We do it every 750 flight hours, or roughly every six weeks..."

Could somebody with QF RB211 knowledge please advise if this interval is normal for the engine maintenance program, or as a result of an airworthiness directive.

Qantas no longer overhauls its RB211 engines. All the overhauls have been outsourced since last year to Hong Kong. They only have a minor repair capability remaining in Sydney.
No word where or when this engine was last overhauled?

Cavedweller

The article in The Australian (see earlier post) has Qantas stating that it was overhauled in August last year.

Forgive me..... I thought the newspaper got it wrong.......:\
I can understand C & D check outsourcing (sort of) but I assume engines and airframes are on different maintenance cycles, particularly if a couple of engines go unserviceable over a short period of time, must be an operational nightmare, am I right or wrong? It just doesn't seem a good economical decision.


Thanks for that, I have only just arrived back in Australia after 10 years away, I just didn't realise how reduced the engine overhaul capability is today in Australia at QF.....:ooh: Wow.

A good point, where and when....

That's about 'on the money'! for routine borescopes. The frequency would change but only for specific damage.... which all engines pick up from time to time.
For example: combustion chamber distress would be looked at say 250 hours intervals and the engine could stay on the wing for a couple of years.

Depleted Uranium
 

Bit off thread but someone else raised the depleted uranium topic. FAA has an interesting old Advisory Circular warning of possible poisoning due to ingestion of depleted uranium during accident investigation http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Gu...E/AC20-123.pdf. Manufacturers give similar stern warnings about production and installation of d/u balance weights. US Military of course insists there is no hazard to human health from all the depleted uranium munitions blasted over Iraq!

djfingerscrossed


As far as I know RR has not lost the contract, I believe QF's A380s have Rolls-Royce Trent 900s

The PA to the PAX by the Capt...........was this done prior to or after the engine was secured via the severve damage check?

Good job all round.:cool:

In an engine failure of that magnitude, apart rom the obvious damage, what other damage would an engine typically suffer. I can imagie bearings would suffer a lot of stress from the imballance, would vibrational loads be transmitted forward to the compressor sections, hence damaging parts upstream?

Is there a protocol that dictates all components are scrapped or is a simple overhaul done and components that are still servicable returned to the parts pool.

nomorecatering,

in catastrophic failures very little is ever reused - if anything.

Best Regards,

N1 Vibes

Typical protocol is that engine can be returned to service by virtue of an overhaul. Protocols for exceptions generally involve fires which visibly damage external cases, and/or deformations to the load carrying structures (major cases) caused by external impacts (typically with the ground).

For the subject event in this thread I suspect that the engine will be returned to service after an overhaul.

Are we absolutely sure this was an RB-211 powered aircraft? The last time I flew Qantas SFO-SYD, last year, the equipment in use was the Extended Range version of the 744, a 747-438ER. Judging by the length of the (very comfortable) journey, I think I worked out why.

And the engines on VH-OEH were, I think, General Electric CF6-80C2B5.

Yes the aircraft has RB-211 engines.

Engine RB211
 

Aircraft OJP RR RB211 Engines - nbr 4 engine overhauled in HKG last year, engine suffered failure nbr 3 bearing at 28000Ft on climb, had high vibes & then went EGT Amber 795 C. Turbines cut turbine overheat switches wiring & EGT when it let go. Believe engine is being sent back to HKG for strip investigation.

D120A,

Qantas VH-OJ- series 747-400s are powered by RB211s.

VH-OE- series are/were those bought from Malaysian and Korean and the 747-400ERs; all are powered by CF6s.

#3 bearing? Do we mean the HP or the IP turbine bearing per chance...

Good job done...no doubt about that!
:ok:

Lomopaseo,

as prev mentioned depends on the type/nature of failure if the enigne is rebuilt or scrapped. RR recently told one operator, whose engine had experienced only a fan blade failure, that they would not be getting the enigne back.

Best Regards,

N1 Vibes

Engine strip-down inspection
 

Kiwi,

the AAIB travel to HKG, the HAESL facility strips the engine with AAIB and RR in attendance(Haesl has permanent RR staff onsite). Any clever metallurgy stuff is done in RR Derby. HAESL have done lot's of other incident investigation engines.

Best Regards,

N1 Vibes