American Airlines Boeing 767 HPT Failure

American Airlines Boeing 767 doing a high power engine run had a #1 engine HPT (High Pressure Turbine) failure. HPT let go and punctured left wing, #2 engine, peppered fuselage and set fire to the aircraft.

The turbine disk exited the engine and sliced through the aircraft belly and
lodged in the outboard side of the #2 engine.While perhaps indicative of a faulty turbine, remember folks – this test should be considered successful because it weeded out the faulty piece through testing that simultates conditions considerably more severe than what the engine would normally undergo with passengers aboard.

Source unknown:

Check this out. Happened to an AA 767 last Friday. The disc went through the aircraft into the OTHER engine.

I’m not sure whether you will have heard about this as it appears to have been hushed up over the weekend. On Friday during a ground run at LAX, GE CF6 in the number one position let go on an American Airlines 767. Two taxiways were closed while bits of disc were retrieved. Attached are some photos, one of which shows half adisc sticking out of an engine. In fact, the disc belongs to the other engine – it’s passed through the centre wing box and embedded itself.

Undoubtedly, this would have brought down the aircraft had this happened in service. The rear fuselage and port inboard flaps were toasted as combustor exit gases escaped and hit the airframe, which has to have been written off.

Interestingly, photos of it were uploaded onto various websites on Friday evening. As of this morning almost all of them have gone, including any of the aircraft as a whole. This obviously has some pretty serious implications for twin-engined aircraft.

HPT Failure At 1230 PM, Friday, June 2, 2006 at LAX. American Airlines Boeing767 doing a high power engine run had a #1 engine HPT failure. HPTLet go and punctured left wing, #2 engine, peppered fuselage and set fire to the aircraft. The turbine disk exited engine #1 and sliced throughthe aircraft belly and lodged in the outboard side of the #2 engine.