Air New Zealand subsidiary Eagle Air temporarily grounded its fleet of Beech 1900Ds last week for emergency landing gear checks.
The airline says a routine maintenance inspection of an Eagle 1900D identified an unspecified issue with an undercarriage component and as a result its entire fleet of 17 1900Ds was grounded for checks.
Inspections were carried out using ultrasound equipment . A day after the grounding 11 aircraft were cleared for a return to service, although six remained on the ground awaiting replacement parts for an undercarriage component. The aircraft were all due to have returned to service by 19 September.
The temporary grounding came three months after an Eagle Air 1900D made a "wheels-up" belly landing at Blenheim airport after suffering gear problems. The aircraft was later repaired and re-entered service.
Source: Flight International
