Pratt & Whitney has agreed to compensate the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) for two engine-related Lockheed Martin F-16C losses during 1997.
Both crashes were attributed to problems with the aircraft's single P&WF100-229 turbofan. The first accident was caused by an engine failure over Yosu on 6 August, 1997; the second happened over Sosan on 18 September last year, when the aircraft suffered a flame-out attributed to starvation of fuel to the combustion chamber, linked with fuel line corrosion.
The South Korean Ministry of National Defence (MND) says investigations into last year's accident, carried out with P&W and the US Air Force, concluded that the probable cause was a fault in the engine flex hose, manufactured by US company Stratoflex. This is also believed to be one of three possible causes for the 1997 accident, says the MND. The hose retrieved from the wreckage showed signs of "scoring", says the ministry.
P&W has agreed to replace flex hoses in about 60 aircraft - half the RoKAF's F-16s. According to sources in Seoul, the manufacturer has agreed to hand over two new engines - worth about $5 million each - and other services roughly equal to the value of one F-16. Services offered include the provision of spare parts "at favourable prices", according to the Seoul defence ministry.
Sources close to the engine manufacturer say that the flex hose problem is unique to RoKAF F-16s. According to one source, the problem is thought to be related to "maintenance issues", and P&W does not plan major configuration changes as a result.
Source: Flight International
