NTSB calls for engine inspections

NTSB calls for engine inspections    The failure of four General Electric jet engines in less than two years prompted the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board last week to issue two urgent safety recommendations for increased inspections and a redesign of an engine component.
   Three of the incidents involved all-cargo aircraft.
   The NTSB recommended the Federal Aviation Administration require airlines to inspect GE CF6-45/50 series engines for damage to turbine blades until the turbine disk can be redesigned and replaced by a stronger version.
   The second recommendation asks the FAA to require GE to immediately redesign the disk.
   In each incident, the engine failure was caused by turbine fragments flying through the engine case, which could penetrate the cabin or fuel tanks, damage flight control instrumentation, or sever flammable fluid or hydraulic lines.
   An Arrow Cargo DC-10F, Jett8 Boeing 747-200 freighter and an ACT Cargo Airbus A300-B all experienced engine failures during flight or takeoff from March 26, 2009 to April 10, 2010.
   In 2008, a Saudi Arabian Airlines passenger plane also experienced an engine failure while climbing towards cruising altitude.