New York jet crash engine has a history of failures.
	American Airlines Airbus A300

Investigations into the cause of the fatal crash of American Airlines
Flight 587 into a residential district of New York will be looking closely
at a possible major engine failure.

The plane was an Airbus A300-600 equipped with two General Electric
CF6-80C2A5 engines. The aircraft was built in 1987 and was delivered
to American Airlines in July 1988.

One engine and a wing section have been identified at separate
locations near the main crash site.

General Electric's CF6 has a cracking problem which the company has
warned about.

The FAA had already directed airlines to inspect the CF6 engine for
cracks in the turbine rotor discs.

In August 2000 after analyzing an uncontained CF6 engine failure
experienced by a Varig Brasil Airlines Boeing 767, the FAA issued
a directive modifying the inspection times for CF6 engines
In order to detect cracking in the high-pressure compressor stage
(3-9 spool) that could cause an uncontained engine failure. The
compressor in an aircraft engine compresses the incoming air and
speeds it up before it enters the combustion chamber to mix with fuel.

Aviation experts say the engine has been involved in a number of
incidents in the last two years.

In September 2000 a US Airways Boeing 767 experienced an
uncontained failure in the HPT Stage 1 Disc of its CF6 engine during
a high power ground maintenance checks. As the engine failed there
was a loud explosion followed by a fire under the left wing of the
aeroplane. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report
indicated that a crack had started near the bottom corner of a blade
slot and grew causing the disk to break into three pieces. A portion of
the broken disc traveled completely through both the wing section and
a fuel tank.

The board also called on FAA to require one-time eddy current
inspections on CF6-80 HPT stage 1 disks

In 1989 the metal hub holding the fan blades of a CF6 engine
shattered in mid flight on a United Airlines DC10. The shrapnel from
the engine cut through the planes hydraulic lines causing a total loss of
the planes hydraulics. On landing at Sioux City, Iowa the aircraft
cartwheeled and burst into flames killing all 112 people on board.

Further information:

GE Website - CF6 Information

http://www.geae.com/lrgcom/cf6/cf6_comm_home.html

A300 Webpage at Airbus

http://www2.airbus.com/products/A300.php

A300 Image courtesy of Airbus Industrie