FAA issues landing gear alert: report

[flashl]

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a Miami maintenance firm it says shipped out substandard landing-gear parts used on hundreds of Boeing Co's wide-body jetliners, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The Journal said the FAA's notice details more than 300 instances when an AAR Corp unit shipped "unapproved" parts for use on Boeing aircraft in recent years.

The FAA also said the landing-gear parts didn't comply with maintenance manuals and one of its mandatory safety directives from 2001, the newspaper reported.

No accidents have been caused by the affected parts, but US Airways -- an AAR customer -- said it voluntarily removed several parts after one of its Boeing 757s suffered partial landing-gear failure in October, according to the Journal.

Reuters

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0145694420080401

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Geez, alerts about airline part checks are appearing almost daily.

[Mika]

1. Miami. Again. Why am I not shocked? n/t

[pattmarty]

2. Now all we need is a rash of airline crashes. Thx again, GW.

[singingbiscuit]

3. Yet another reason I ride Amtrak

...tickets anyone?

Pros: cheaper, easier, they don't treat you like a criminal, carry-ons are respected as your property, lots of room (even in coach), dining cars, etc, etc

Cons: takes longer (hey, bring a book! knit! whatever)

[DemoTex]

4. What if the counterfeit part is a 5th stage bearing in the #1 engine?

Counterfeit parts are a big, big problem. Many airline aircraft engines are now overhauled in foreign ("off-shore") maintenance shops, with the full blessings of the FAA. Off-shore maintenance facilitates and exacerbates the problem of counterfeit parts ending up flying on US airliners.

[chixydix]

6. That's some afterburner! And a beforeburner too!

:scared:
;-)

[DemoTex]

9. You should hear the fire-warning bell in the cockpit!

Actually, the Boeing 777 probably has a low-key warning chime and a sexy voice saying "Fire, fire .. left engine. Fire, fire .. left engine."

The good news is that the engine is probably still producing thrust. Bad news is it's on fire. Good news: let it burn to about 1000 feet, nothing else will happen. At 1000 feet call for the checklist, shut the MoFo down, pull the fire handle, and get ready for an over-weight landing. No big deal, really.

[guitar man]

11. you forgot...

call for cleanup in the passenger cabin, everybody looking out the left side windows just soiled themselves :wow:

[chixydix]

13. Too bad it was badly photoshopped! hehe

:D

http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/fire01.asp


(I think a lot of DUers believed it was a real picture) ;-)

[DemoTex]

14. Still a great point-maker!

And a damn good job in the photo-shop.

[chixydix]

15. Well, fire blowing out the front of the engine is a pretty good indication of bogusity

:D

Here is an apparently genuine one, minus the fireworks
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1134244/L/

(Saw an MD80 land with an engine on fire about 20 years ago at Love Field)

[DemoTex]

16. You think? Nair!

The B-777 photo-shop fire looked exactly like a Flying Tigers DC-8 I saw taking off at Cam Rahn Bay in December 1970. His #4 engine blew at rotation. The fire pattern was much the same. He cleaned it up, limped around the pattern, and landed on the 15,000-ft runway with 185 pissed/scared troops who were headed back to the USA!

[chixydix]

17. Well, unless V1 and VR were about the same and about 60 KIAS

or less there really isn't any explanation for how that fire could extend out frontward that far. It pretty much violates every engineering and physical principle known to humanoids. :D

[rcsl1998]

5. .

[goforit]

7. Bush attacking Boeing? Boeing slams Gov't for Airbus deal, FAA slams Boeing

Its in the cards folks.......Playing hardball at all costs.

I wouldn't piss off Boeing tooo much Bush.

[Duer 157099]

8. April Fools!!

No?

[DemoTex]

10. No

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. "No Parking in the Red Zone". n/t

:D