The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Washington, DC, USA) recently issued an emergency airworthinessdirective regarding a number of popular Boeing 737 jets after four reports of single-engine shutdowns during flights. The FAA order affects about 2,000 twin-engine passenger jets in the rage could cause the valve to become stuck in the open position.
“If this valve opens normally at takeoff power, it may become stuck in the open position during flight and fail to close when power is reduced at top of descent, resulting in an unrecoverable compressor stall and the inability to restart the engine,” FAA writes. “CorrUnited States, including the Boeing 737-300, -400, -500, -600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes.
According to the FAA, the shutdowns were caused by “engine bleed air 5th stage check vales being stuck open.” The agency warns that corrosion of the internal parts during airplane stoosion of these valves on both engines could result in a dual-engine power loss, without the ability to restart.”
If not addressed, FAA says the condition could result in a forced off-airport landing. As a result, the agency says operators must inspect any Boeing 737 aircraft that has been parked for at least seven days. Depending on the inspection result, the valve could need to be replaced.
Source: FAA, www.faa.gov.