![]() ![]() ![]() But the metal was worn from heating and cooling that occurs when a plane accelerates and decelerates, a common phenomenon known as “high-cycle fatigue.” The fan disk had used only one-quarter of its projected service life, the report said. It was shipped from South Dakota to Dyess to fix an oil leak in April 2021, and was reinstalled in January 2022 onto the B-1 that would catch fire months later. The engine was last overhauled in 2017 and could handle much more flying time before it was next scheduled for heavy maintenance, the report indicated. It’s unclear when the faulty fan disk began to break, the report said. It also torched critical mechanical, electrical and hydraulic components, the report said. The fire was worst where the left wing connects to the bomber’s fuselage, melting the plane’s skin and peeling off metal components. One other injured airman was also treated at a nearby hospital and released, the Air Force said at the time. The hurt maintainer was treated at a local hospital and ordered to rest at home for one week. Hot shrapnel hit one airman’s right leg, causing lacerations, bone bruises and muscle injury.Īirmen scrambled to shut down the engine and firefighters responded to the scene. Flames rose about 200 feet high and flung engine parts up to 1,000 feet away. Then a warning light flickered on.Ī fireball erupted on the left side and partially engulfed the jet. “The then required a maintenance engine augmenter run … to check proper operations of the engine hydraulic pump and to ensure it did not leak fluid,” the Air Force report said.ĭyess fire chief offers new details on last month's massive B-1B bomber fireĪ half-hour into their work, the engine was running smoothly again. That was later ruled out.įurther checks showed that the component had failed because of problems with its hydraulic system, parts of which they replaced around 10 p.m. One specialist thought a faulty thrust control component was behind the problem and needed further investigation. Soon after, though, the nozzle closed once again. “Satisfied that the issue had been resolved, the propulsion specialists departed.” “When the … pilots moved the #1 engine throttle to intermediate power, nozzle … returned to its correct open position when the throttle was returned to idle,” the report said. Lancers are powered by four General Electric engines known as the F-101-GE-102. The airmen called for propulsion specialists to take a look. local time, when a nozzle that should have fully opened was still closed during “hot refueling” - the process of gassing up with the engine running on the ground. B-1 pilots noticed a potential problem with one of the plane’s four engines around 2 p.m. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |