Bombardier to begin failure analysis on CSeries engine

[Ockie]

(Reuters) - Bombardier Inc will begin tearing down the engine of its CSeries jetliner on Sunday to investigate its failure during maintenance testing this week, an aviation journal reported, heightening the risk of delay in producing the model for market.

"We don't believe at this point it (the failure) impacts entry into service," Bombardier Aerospace President and Chief Operating Officer Guy Hachey was quoted as saying by the Aviation Week publication.

But "if it lasts a long time, of course it will," he said.

The new CSeries jetliner suffered an "engine-related incident" during stationary maintenance testing on Thursday and Bombardier said on Friday it was investigating the incident with Canadian authorities and engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

Bombardier is spending billions to develop the CSeries, which will compete in the narrow-body jet market with Boeing Co's 737 MAX as well as the Airbus A320neo. It unveiled the plane more than a year ago to fanfare and high expectations, but has struggled with delays and slow sales.

The plane's first flight last September was more than nine months behind schedule. In January, Bombardier pushed out the date of the CSeries' entry into service to the second half of 2015, the same target Airbus has for the A320neo. The CSeries was originally due in service at the end of 2013.

Hachey said "tearing down and failure analysis" on the engine would start on Sunday.

It was not immediately clear whether the engine incident sprang from a production problem that would be simple to fix, or a more serious design flaw that could require more time and money to repair.

Jet engines occasionally fail during testing, while serious problems are rare. Pratt had to redesign a component of a similar engine last year, when tests revealed distress in the hot core.

"We don’t know exactly what happened at this point in time," Hachey said.

“There has been damage to the engine and the aircraft. From an aircraft perspective we think it is very repairable. It is nothing we are too worried about.”

By being first to market with a new, fuel-efficient narrow-body plane, Bombardier had hoped to capture significant orders, but its advantage is shrinking with the CSeries delays. Bombardier's shares closed down 9 cents at C$3.69 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Friday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/01/us-bombardier-cseries-idUSKBN0EC1TU20140601

Dammit. This lekker plane just cant get a break it seems. I do hope Bombardier can release performance stats at the Farnborough Airshow and get some orders going.

 

[garyc]

There is a little bit more (but not much) on Flightglobal http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/cseries-flight-testing-suspended-after-engine-failure-399868/.

Bombardier is trying to calm investor fears of delays to the program.

Bombardier says the incident took place during ground maintenance testing involving FTV-1 at its facility in Mirabel, Quebec. A Bombardier spokesman says the incident will not affect the entry into service of the CSeries, scheduled for the second half of 2015. "We are confident that we will be able to deliver the aircraft in that timeline," he adds.

 

[Ockie]

There is a little bit more (but not much) on Flightglobal http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/cseries-flight-testing-suspended-after-engine-failure-399868/.

Bombardier is trying to calm investor fears of delays to the program.

I feel sorry for Bombardier. I think this is going to be a great little plane, but it just does not seem to be getting off the ground. If they know what is good for them, they better have one of the test planes @ Farnborough this year and show people how it flies and how quiet the engines are, as noise level reductions was a very big promise they made to the airlines.

It will be interesting to see what the cause is. These test engines are put through very tough stress though I think during flighs testing. Something they wont experience during normal flight. But better check what is going on. Hope it is not too serous.

 

[garyc]

Yes, they really don't need this. Especially after the announcement a few months ago that there would be a one year delay due to flight test issues.

That P&W PW1500G engine is a new type, so some teething issues are probably inevitable. Some really great technology in it though.

 

[Ockie]

UPDATE 1-Airbus says A320neo jet schedule unaffected by Bombardier engine problem

(Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus said the schedule for its A320neo jet was unaffected after smaller rival Bombardier called a halt to testing on its CSeries jet, which uses a similar engine to that planned for the A320neo.

"It should not affect us in the slightest, this is a different engine," sales chief John Leahy told journalists after Airbus on Sunday signed a purchase order with Air New Zealand for 14 jets.

Bombardier Inc's new CSeries jetliner suffered an "engine-related incident" during stationary maintenance testing on Thursday and the company said it was investigating the incident with engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

The A320neo, Airbus's revamped version of its popular narrowbody A320 jet, will be powered by a Pratt engine similar to the CSeries.

"It's unfortunate to see something like that happening but it's not affecting us," Leahy added.

The Air New Zealand order, worth $1.6 billion at list prices, comprises 10 A320neo aircraft, one A320ceo, and three A321neo aircraft. The planes will be deployed on the airline's Tasman and Pacific Island services, Air New Zealand Chief Executive Christopher Luxon said.

A decision on the engines would be made by the end of the year, he said.

Reuters had reported the airline was close to an order on Saturday.

At the signing event, which took place during the International Air Transport Association's annual meeting in Doha, Airbus's Leahy also said the planemaker was close to a decision on whether to revamp its 20-year old A330 model.

"We're studying it very carefully. Watch this space," Leahy told journalists.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/01/airlines-iata-air-new-zealand-idUSL6N0OI0N720140601

 

[garyc]

News trickling out suggests that there may have been an uncontained engine failure associated with the turbine hot section. This also caused some structural damage. At least they are not talking about a failure in the new gearbox system - that may have been a lot more serious.

Apparently Bombardier are getting on with non engine related ground tests to avoid losing too much time.

 

[Ockie]

News trickling out suggests that there may have been an uncontained engine failure associated with the turbine hot section. This also caused some structural damage. At least they are not talking about a failure in the new gearbox system - that may have been a lot more serious.

Apparently Bombardier are getting on with non engine related ground tests to avoid losing too much time.

A uncontained failure is never good. Can bring a plane down. Look what happened to the Qantas A380 when the Rolls Royce engine had a uncontained failure. Luckily they were left with enough control to land safely. I suspected there was a uncontained failure though when they mentioned yesterday that there was damage to the air frame also.

 

[Ockie]

Lufthansa backs Bombardier's CSeries despite engine failure

(Reuters) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG said on Tuesday that it met with Bombardier Inc on Monday and assured the Canadian planemaker it still believes in the $4.4 billion CSeries jetliner program despite an engine failure last week.

A problem with the plane's newly developed Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engine during stationary maintenance testing last Thursday has sparked concerns about further delays in the already-overdue CSeries development.

"We still very much believe in this aircraft," spokesman Nils Haupt said in an email. "Lufthansa is fully confident that Bombardier will be able to solve the issue ... but we hope that no further delays will occur."

Germany's Lufthansa signed a letter of interest in 2008 for 30 planes, with options for 30 more, and firmed the order in March 2009. The planes are for its Swiss airline subsidiary.

Montreal-based Bombardier said on Tuesday that there were no developments with the investigation into what went wrong with the engine.

On Monday, the company's aerospace unit president told Reuters that the probe had narrowed to a few possible causes and the plane could soon be back flying if the problem was what Bombardier suspected.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which sent an investigator to Bombardier's flight testing facility outside Montreal, said on Tuesday it had nothing new to report.

UBS analysts were told in meetings with Pratt & Whitney parent United Technologies Corp on Monday that the incident was relatively minor.

United Technologies does not see the incident as related to the the gearbox, analyst David Struass wrote in a research note, adding that the company "expects to know root cause by the end of this week."

Bombardier shares gained 1.9 percent on Tuesday to end at C$3.71 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. News of the engine failure on Friday sent Bombardier stock down 1.9 percent on worries over the cause and whether it could require a costly, time-consuming redesign.

Multiple delays have disappointed investors and added to competition concerns as the CSeries takes on smaller jetliners made by industry leaders Boeing Co and Airbus Group NV.

Bombardier wants to dominate the 100- to 149-seat plane market with the CSeries, built with lightweight composite materials and other technologies designed to make it burn less fuel and operate more quietly, with lower operating costs.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/03/uk-bombarder-cseries-idUKKBN0EE2F820140603

 

[garyc]

This is sounding like a turbine disc burst (similar to the A380). There shouldn't have been any problem containing blade failure instead.

Hopefully an issue that can be dealt with easily.

 

[garyc]

Its back ...

Bombardier has restarted engine ground runs for the CSeries test fleet 13 days after an uncontained engine failure, and reaffirmed entry-into-service is set for the second half of next year.

The company has introduced a new “control measures” to prevent the malfunction that occurred on engine No. 1 of the FTV-1 test aircraft on 29 May, Bombardier says.

The new procedure was adopted after Bombardier and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney developed a “good understanding of what happened” on 29 May, Bombardier says, without elaborating.

Bombardier and P&W parent United Technologies officials have previously confirmed the source of the uncontained failure was in the low-pressure turbine of the PurePower PW1500G geared turbofan.

The CSeries fleet will resume flight tests in the “coming weeks”. The grounding, however, means there is now no chance for the CSeries to make a debut appearance at the Farnborough air show that starts on 14 July, Bombardier says.

Bombardier is considering other venues to “showcase” the CSeries, although the next major international air show is not until Paris in June 2015.

The uncontained failure caused structural damage to the airframe of FTV1. But Bombardier says the repairs are “manageable”.

Meanwhile, Bombardier is also running stationary tests of the auxiliary power unit, electrical systems and avionics.

The engine malfunction occurred as the CSeries test fleet was starting to gain momentum after a slow start.

The four CSeries CS100 aircraft delivered to the flight test programme so far have accumulated a combined 330 flight test hours since first flight on 16 September.

The CSeries is the first commercial aircraft to enter certification flight testing with a variant of P&W’s family of geared turbofan engines, which are also selected to power the Airbus A320neo, the Irkut MS-21, Mitsubishi MRJ-90 and the Embraer E-Jet E2.

The novel feature of the engine – the fan-drive gear system – has not been directly implicated in the source of the engine malfunction on 29 May.

The fan-drive gear systems allows P&W to de-couple the rotation speed of the low-pressure turbine and the inlet fan, allowing each to spin at the most efficient speed. The fan is slowed down by the gear, while the LPT rotation speed increases significantly.

 

[Ockie]

The CSeries fleet will resume flight tests in the “coming weeks”. The grounding, however, means there is now no chance for the CSeries to make a debut appearance at the Farnborough air show that starts on 14 July, Bombardier says.

Bombardier is considering other venues to “showcase” the CSeries, although the next major international air show is not until Paris in June 2015.

BIG MISTAKE! Put it on a bloody ship or something, but get this plane there and showcase it! This will be the second time they miss the biggest airshow. I think I have lost faith in Bombardier management to bring this plane to market. The flightesting of this plane have been nothing but lackluster. I think Airbus did twice as many hours in the A350 in a month to what Bombardier did in a year for the Cseries! I love the Cseries, but Bombardier is failing if you ask me. I dont know if it is just bad luck, bad management or what, but this Cseries program is just not getting off the ground.

They are losing a HUGE opportunity to showcase this plane.

 

[garyc]

All of this made me go look for the video of the (deliberate) failure of the B787 engine. Interesting to look at, even though it is less severe than the failure that occurred on the Bombardier.

[video=youtube;f0-Lu0nknfA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=f0-Lu0nknfA[/video]

 

[Ockie]

Pratt & Whitney says CSeries fault is seal issue in oil system

LONDON (Reuters) - Executives at aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney said a fault on the engines for Bombardier's CSeries planes was to do with a seal in the oil system that would require a relatively minor adjustment, and not to do with the low pressure turbine.

The company, a division of United Technologies Corp, makes the engine for Bombardier's CSeries narrow-body plane, but the aircraft has been grounded since late May after a major engine failure in testing.

"The issue is a seal problem in the oil system. The fan-drive gear system is rock solid," Pratt Commercial Engines President David Brantner told journalists at a briefing ahead of the Farnborough air show.

He said it was not anything to do with the low pressure turbine, after some initial reports had suggested that was the case, and also said it was not linked to the engine failure on the F-35 fighter jet, which is also grounded and will not be flying at the air show on Monday as planned.

Graham Webb, the company's chief engineer for commercial engines, said it was a relatively minor adjustment for the CSeries engine. "We will have them back up and flying in the very near future but we have to ensure the validation is robust," he said.

Bombardier hopes to dominate the 110- to 149-seat plane market with the CSeries, built with lightweight composite materials and other technologies designed to reduce fuel burn, noise and operating costs.

It said on Saturday that Falko Regional Aircraft Limited, a lessor based in Britain, had signed two letters of intent to buy up to 24 CS100 jets, the first new CSeries deal announced since the first quarter. It is not clear whether Bombardier will be announcing any major orders during the air show.

Pratt said it expected the airshow would bring its order total so far this year to 6,000 engines, from 5,500 before the show started.

Separately on Sunday, Pratt's Canadian unit signed a deal for its PWC150C turboprop engine to power the new MA700 regional turboprop aircraft being launched by AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Company of China.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/13/uk-airshow-britain-pratt-whitney-idUKKBN0FI0SL20140713

 

[Ockie]

July 22 (Reuters) - A fix for Pratt & Whitney's engine used in Bombardier Inc's new CSeries jet is not expected to be needed on versions of the engine used in other aircraft, the chief financial officer of Pratt parent United Technologies Corp said on Tuesday.

Pratt executives said earlier this month the problem had to do with a seal in the oil system that would require a relatively minor adjustment. The aircraft has been grounded since late May after an engine failure during testing.

Along with the CSeries, Pratt's new geared turbofan engine is offered on Airbus' A320neo narrow-body plane and other new regional jets. The engine is helping revitalize Pratt's commercial engine business.

"This particular fix we think is just related to the CSeries engine itself," United Tech CFO Greg Hayes said on a conference call with analysts. "Each of the architecture is little bit different and we have not seen a similar issue on any of the other models that are out there."

The company expects it will be a "couple of weeks" before the plane is flying again, Hayes said.

 

[Drifter]

One sexy aircraft.