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The first of TAA's new Boeing 737-300s takes to the air on its maiden flight at Renton, Seattle. Our September edition will carry an in-depth report on the -300 in both TAA and Ansett service which will include both a technical cutaway and colour spread.
Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation
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United SP Undercarriage Failure Prompts More Questions on 747 Fatigue Problems:
Failure of the port outer undercarriage of a United Airlines 747SP at Mascot airport on May 23rd has raised new calls for a more stringent fatigue monitoring programme for older wide-bodied aircraft While only ten years old, the sold, the SP in question was one of the first built and uses the less ro bust undercarriage from the 747-100 airframe. Qantas’ SPs are of later build and use the Dantas of the stronger-200 undercarriage to cope with their higher max takeoff weight. The United aircraft was one of six taken over from PanAm when United acquired PanAm’s Pacific routes plus a number of aircraft earlier this year. The arc aircraft was still on the PanAm maintenance schedule and was due to complete a major airframe check during June as a part of its acceptance into United’s own maintenance tenancy programme. United and airport safety officials at first thought the gear collapse was a result of a heavy landing. Further investigation though showed clear evidence of a pre-existing fatigue crack in the port outer trunnion,that acts as an axe that the vertical undercamage components pivot around on gear retraction. Evidence of corrosion was also found around the crack though as we closed for press DotA were still analysing the components to estimate the precise extent of fatigue cracks and how many of them were existed prior to the collapse.
This latest 747 fatigue incident raises doubts about the aircraft’s economic life beyond a certain age or number of cycles. Recent fuselage rib fatigue problems with a number of camers have caused many airlines to consider rolling over their aircraft in a twelve to fifteen-year cycle at a point where resale is still good her and day-to-day maintenance requirements are cost-efficient. Almost half the world’s 747 fleet is now nine years or older and if these aircraft, and their DC-10 and L1011 cousins are to be retired prematurely then an entire new market for replacement airframes exists for the 747- 400, MDC MD-11 and Airbus A340.
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