FAA Orders A380 Engine Inspections

The US FAA has ordered a visual inspection of Engine Alliance GP7200 engines, the type that failed on an Air France Airbus A380 last month.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive comes after an uncontained engine failure of a GP7200 engine on an Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles on September 30. The aircraft diverted to Goose Bay in Canada and landed safely.

The “AD requires a one-time visual inspection of the GP7200 series engine fan hub, with the compliance time based on the number of accumulated flight cycles, and removal of the fan hub if damage or defects are found that are outside of serviceable limits,” the FAA said in the directive.

Etihad, Korean Air and Qatar Airways also operate A380s with the GP7200 power plant, but the biggest operator of the type is Emirates with 90 ordered.