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Engine problems have curtaliled RNZAF MB-339 operations.
New Zealand News
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Air New Zealand 737 Update
Air New Zealand hoped to have all ten of its grounded 737-200s returned to service by mid April. Air New Zealand and the NZ CAA made the decision to ground the 10 737-200s fitted with hushkits in mid February after a number of the hushkit equipped aircraft suffered turbine failures. The faults with the turbines were found in various sections of the engine and was attributed to blades that had been overhauled under contract in the USA. The overhauled blades were also fitted to the three aircraft that are not fitted with hushkits, but, as far as can be told, the fact that the blades failed only on hushkitted aircraft was a coincidence. The overhauled blades are being replaced by new blades sourced from the engines’ manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney. The cause of the blade failures has yet to be determined, although Air New Zealand were able to predict when they would occur. To overcome the grounding Air New Zealand initially leased 737s from Solomons and Air Nauru and then later Air Pacific and placed 767s on domestic services. The Air Pacific 737-500 and Solomons 737-300 could only be used partially as they had to meet commitments with their operators, although the airline had full use of the Air Nauru Boeing 737-400. In addition Air New Zealand leased a Britannia 757 which was mainly used on peak services between Auckland and Christchurch, but also operated into Wellington. The leased 737s and 757s, plus Air New Zealand’s own 767s meant that by mid March the airline was back to 100% traffic capacity, although frequencies were still down.
Macchi Operations Seriously Restricted
The discovery of cracking in the turbine blade route attachment within the first stage compressor of some of the RNZAF’s MB-339’s Viper turbojets has seriously curtailed flying training operations, with only eight of the 17 Macchis flying, at the time of writing. The cracks were first discovered in late February during routine engine maintenance. Of seven engines initially inspected once the discovery was first made, three were found to have the cracking. Upon consultation with the Viper’s manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, the RNZAF allowed those Macchis to fly whose engine’s had less than 300 hours, which effectively grounded nine aircraft. Rolls-Royce is having to remanufacture replacement parts under warranty for the engines and so it will be some months before all the aircraft are returned to service. The engine manufacturer is also investigating the cause of the cracking, which is peculiar to the Viper Mk 680-43 of the MB-339C, of which New Zealand is the only operator. It’s still unclear as to what long term effects the engine problems will have on RNZAF MB-339 operations and aircrew training commitments. Initially the RNZAF has reshuffled its current training courses to bring forward ground training components.
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