From a the Email: A pilot for a Chinese carrier requested permission and landed at FRA ( Frankfurt , Germany for an unscheduled refueling stop. The reason soon became apparent to the ground crew: The Number 3 engine had been shut down previously because of excessive vibration, and because it didnt look too good. It had apparently been no problem for the ground crew back in China: as they took some sturdy straps and wrapped them around two of the fan blades and the structures behind, thus stopping any unwanted wind-milling engine spinning by itself due to airflow passing through the blades during flight and associated uncomfortable vibration caused by the sub optimal fan. Note that the straps are seat-belts, how resourceful. After making the repairs, off they went into the wild blue yonder with another revenue-making flight on only three engines. With the increased fuel consumption, they got a bit low on fuel, and just set it down at the closest airport (FRA) for a quick refill. Thats when the problems started: The Germans, who are kind of picky about this stuff, inspected the malfunctioning engine and immediately grounded the aircraft. Besides the seat-belts, notice the appalling condition of the fan blades. The airline operator had to send a chunk of money to get the first engine replaced which took about 10 days. The repair contractor decided to do some impromptu inspection work on the other engines, none of which looked all that great either. The result: a total of 3 engines were eventually changed on this plane before it was permitted to fly again. And you all were worried about toys from China with lead paint on them.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:13:50 +0000
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