An Air Wisconsin Bombardier CRJ200 made an emergency landing on 2 January at Burlington International Airport in Vermont after reporting a problem with the aircraft’s flaps.
The CRJ200 was operating as US Airways Express flight 3909 from Philadelphia to Burlington with 48 passengers and three crewmembers.
“The flaps failed”, confirms an Air Wisconsin spokeswoman. While unable to provide precise details, she says the pilots “discontinued their approach”, did a “go-around” and used an alternative runway at the airport after determining that wind conditions were more conducive to landing there.
Bombardier says: “In a discussion with Air Wisconsin, our technical team confirmed a flap malfunction during the landing. We also learned the aircraft landed safely at its intended destination.
“Soon after landing, Air Wisconsin maintenance technicians corrected the issue and this proved successful. The aircraft has since returned to service.”
As standard practice Air Wisconsin is investigating the incident, which occurred after the carrier had complied with a maintenance action contained in a US FAA airworthiness directive aimed at reducing the number of CRJ100/200 struck flap incidents that have been linked to cold weather operations. Carriers had until January 3 to comply with this portion of the AD.
“Two weeks ahead of the required date, all aircraft had gone through what they needed [and] are compliant with the airworthiness directive,” says the Air Wisconsin spokeswoman.
She adds: “It’s obvious that with that aircraft there has been an issue.”
Bombardier has been working with US manufacturer Eaton to redesign the CRJ100/200 flap system. The company has “completed testing of a new seal and, very soon, will share the specifics with the certification authorities”, Bombardier recently told ATI.
Bombardier expects upgrades to the fleet to begin early this month, but says “the end date is difficult to determine at this time due largely to operators who fly in warmer climates where other priorities may be in place”.
Bombardier has also solicited Eaton for additional modifications. The work with Eaton, which is scheduled to begin in February, will further enhance the system’s reliability, and is being done “in the spirit of continuous improvement”, says Bombardier.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence (ATI) news
Source: FlightGlobal.com
