German Air Force has grounded two of its three Airbus A400M transport planes following discovery of cracking in the engine Propeller Gearbo...
German Air Force has grounded two of its three Airbus A400M transport planes following discovery of cracking in the engine Propeller Gearbox (PGB).
The issue with the Avio Aero made reduction gearbox in the TP400 turboprop engine, was first discovered early this year and have mandated inspection of PGB every 20 flight hours.
The two aircraft 54-01 and 54-02 were delivered in December 2014 and December 2015 and has respectively flown 365 and 189 flight hours.
German Defense Ministry said the third aircraft was not found to be affected with the issue.
It was found that the PGB parts were affected by excessive abrasive wear and were struggling to cope with the extreme engine temperatures.
The PGB is a reduction gearbox, that reduces the rotational speed between the turbine and the 5.5 m diameter propeller by a factor of 10, giving an out speed of 850 rpm.
Issue affects only the gearboxes with clockwise propeller rotation. The four engined A400M features counter rotating pair of propellers on each wing.
Following the issue, Europrop International, which manufactures the TP400 turboprop engine, had earlier mandated inspection of all unaffected aircraft every 200 flight hours.
The TP400 engine has a three-shaft configuration, delivering a maximum output of 11,000 shaft horsepower, which makes it the most powerful turboprop engine in the West.
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| © EPI Europrop International |
The two aircraft 54-01 and 54-02 were delivered in December 2014 and December 2015 and has respectively flown 365 and 189 flight hours.
German Defense Ministry said the third aircraft was not found to be affected with the issue.
It was found that the PGB parts were affected by excessive abrasive wear and were struggling to cope with the extreme engine temperatures.
The PGB is a reduction gearbox, that reduces the rotational speed between the turbine and the 5.5 m diameter propeller by a factor of 10, giving an out speed of 850 rpm.
Issue affects only the gearboxes with clockwise propeller rotation. The four engined A400M features counter rotating pair of propellers on each wing.
Following the issue, Europrop International, which manufactures the TP400 turboprop engine, had earlier mandated inspection of all unaffected aircraft every 200 flight hours.
The TP400 engine has a three-shaft configuration, delivering a maximum output of 11,000 shaft horsepower, which makes it the most powerful turboprop engine in the West.
