UPDATE: Canadian Regulator To Order Bombardier Q400 Fix
August 23 2010 - 4:15PM
Dow Jones News
Canada's civil-aviation safety regulators told Dow Jones Monday
that it is in the process of issuing an air-worthiness bulletin on
Bombardier-built Q400 turboprops relating to the potential for
cracks or corrosion near the landing gear.
"Transport Canada is aware of concerns relating to the turboprop
aircraft landing gear, and the department is in the process of
issuing an Air-worthiness Directive on this subject," says
Transport Canada spokeswoman Maryse Durette. Such a directive would
require all operators to correct the specific problem.
Australia's Qantas Airlines Ltd. (QAN.AU) on the weekend
temporarily grounded five of its 21 Q400 turboprops after
conducting inspections related to recent Bombardier service
bulletins that were issued after U.K. carrier Flybe Ltd. (FBE.YY)
raised concerns about the undercarriage fittings on its Q400 fleet.
This latest issue is not related to the landing-gear problems that
grounded Scandinavia-based SAS Group's Q400 fleet in 2007, says a
Bombardier Inc. (BBD.B.T) spokesman.
Montreal-based Bombardier is "communicating with all owners of
Q400 to provide them with the next steps, and Transport Canada is
monitoring" the company's "proactive response," Transport Canada
said. Bombardier issued the service bulletins in July and April
related to the fittings in the turboprop's nacelle area near the
landing gear. The nacelle area is a streamlined enclosure that's
not part of the fuselage.
Of the 300 Q400 fleet worldwide, 222 planes need to be
inspected, says John Arnone, a Bombardier spokesman. The
inspections are meant to catch any corrosion, fatigue or stress
before it becomes an issue. To date, 60% of the 222 planes have
been inspected, and 4% of the inspected planes were found to have
potential problems and have been either fixed or awaiting parts, he
says.
This latest issue with the Q400, a popular quiet short-haul
turboprop, comes just months after Canadian and U.S. regulators
ordered the company to fix certain angle-of-attack, or AOA,
components on the Q400 that warn of aerodynamic stalls. Bombardier
first alerted Transport Canada to potential AOA problems last fall
after one of its suppliers informed it of a stalling incident due
to icing on a non-Bombardier aircraft. French parts-maker Thales SA
(HO.FR) is Bombardier's supplier.
Sydney-based Qantas said in a statement, dated Aug. 21, that it
grounded the five short-haul planes after "inspection of a main
landing-gear component." The airline began inspecting its fleet
after discussions with Bombardier and after Flybe, a major operator
of the aircraft, detected a cracked fitting during a regular
maintenance check.
A spokesman for the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority confirmed it
was aware of the issue. "Flybe were performing normal maintenance
checks and informed the manufacturer," the spokesman said, adding
that the regulator isn't aware of any further issues.
A Flybe spokesperson told Dow Jones that "procedures, such as
the checks carried out on the Q400 fleet, are standard practice
throughout the industry," adding that its Q400 fleet is operating
its normal schedule, with no delays or cancellations.
U.K. airlines must notify the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority of
safety critical issues within 96 hours of an incident. Foreign
airlines are regulated by their home authorities.
Qantas said it expects the component fix to take around seven
days for each aircraft. As a result, QantasLink cancelled some of
its Sydney-Canberra Q400 services, is operating supplementary jet
flights and using larger aircraft where possible.
"The issue is not an immediate flight safety concern, but does
need to be rectified before each aircraft can return to service,"
said Alan Joyce, Qantas' chief executive.
In 2007, SAS pulled all 27 of its Q400 fleet out of service
after landing-gear-related problems led to three crash landings
within seven weeks. Charlotte, N.C.-based Goodrich Corp. (GR)
supplied the landing gear. A year later, Bombardier agreed to pay
SAS Scandinavian compensation of around $164 million in cash and
credit for future aircraft purchases. As part of the agreement, SAS
agreed to order 27 aircraft, with an option for 24 more.
In Toronto Monday, Bombardier B shares are down 9 Canadian
cents, or 2%, to C$4.47 on about 1.9 million shares. In Sydney,
Qantas closed slightly lower at A$2.59 on 23.4 million shares.
-By Caroline Van Hasselt and Kaveri Niththyananthan; Dow Jones
Newswires; 416-306-2023; caroline.vanhasselt@dowjones.com
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