Regulator orders deeper testing after Boeing engine scare

NEW YORK: US aviation regulators on Tuesday ordered inspections of all Pratt & Whitney engines similar to the one that broke up on a Boeing 777 passenger plane over Denver at the weekend, directing the tests be carried out before any return to service.

The spectacular accident, in which an engine burst into flames and scattered debris over a Denver suburb shortly after takeoff for Honolulu, led to scores of Boeing 777s being grounded worldwide. No one was injured.

“US operators of airplanes equipped with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines (must) inspect these engines before further flight,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

The engine maker said it would comply, examining 125 planes with blades similar to those that failed on the Boeing 777, using Thermal Acoustic Imaging (TAI) inspection “to confirm airworthiness.”

“Pratt & Whitney is coordinating all actions with Boeing, airline operators and regulators. The safe operation of the fleet is our top priority,” the company said in a statement.

The regulator said it was issuing the order “as a result of a fan-blade failure that occurred Saturday on a Boeing 777-200 that had just departed from Denver International Airport.”