General Electric (GE) is being forced to fit new combustors to a batch of 213 CF6-80C2 engines, which have been found to be defective.
According to Lufthansa Technik (LHT), which is offering on-location exchanges of the combustors to affected airlines, GE has found that the splash plates (which direct air to the ignition area) inside the low-emission combustors mounted in a recently built series of engines are prone to fatigue cracking and must be replaced before completing 1,000 cycles. GE says that 40 engines have been modified.
The defective production series was completed in January, and engines produced since then are unaffected by the problem, says Hamburg-based LHT. The company adds that all the engines in the batch are active by now.
Lufthansa has 18 affected engines, which are being used on four Boeing 747-400s and an Airbus A310-300. KLM's fleet has also been affected by the problem, says LHT. American Airlines and UPS are also understood to be flying engines which are affected by the defect.
The splash plate has now been redesigned to eliminate the problem, and the improved plates can be retrofitted into the original combustors.
The German maintenance company says that its on-the-spot service allows the combustors to be exchanged within five days, saving customers time and money. The exchange service is also being offered by GE in Singapore.
According to LHT, most of the defective combustors could be replaced within 18 months.
Source: Flight International
