Samwise Aeronautical Mechanics
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Rolls-Royce Secures LATAM Order for Trent 1000 XE Engines on Three Boeing 787s
Rolls-Royce has secured a new order from LATAM Airlines to power three Boeing 787 Dreamliners with Trent 1000 XE turbofans, marking the Chilean carrier’s return to Rolls-Royce after years of durability disputes. LATAM previously pivoted to GE Aerospace GEnx engines for some 787s following severe reliability problems with earlier Trent 1000 variants that left aircraft grounded. The Trent 1000 XE delivers 40 percent more cooling airflow to redesigned high-pressure turbine blades and more than doubles time-on-wing compared to its predecessors. The order includes TotalCare long-term service coverage, transferring shop visit cost risk to Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce disclosed the agreement on 29 April.
Sources: FlightGlobal
ATSB Finds Fatigue Crack at Dovetail Root Behind Qantas 737 Engine Separation
Australia’s Transport Safety Bureau has released its final report into a serious November 2024 engine failure aboard a Qantas Boeing 737-800 departing Sydney for Brisbane, finding that a fatigue crack in the dovetail of a CFM International CFM56-7B high-pressure turbine blade propagated through 80 percent of the blade before separation. The crack originated at the minimum-neck region—the thinnest point of the dovetail cross-section—and took an adjacent blade with it when it liberated. Critically, the crack location made it undetectable via borescope without a full engine teardown. The engine had been scheduled for removal 13 days later under a service bulletin reducing the recommended removal threshold from 20,000 to 17,900 cycles.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Airbus Will Miss FAA July Deadline for A220 Secondary Cockpit Barriers
Airbus has informed A220 operators it will miss the Federal Aviation Administration’s 31 July 2026 deadline for installing secondary cockpit barriers on the aircraft, citing certification delays and insufficient production capacity at the barrier supplier. A 2023 FAA rule requires physically installed secondary barriers on new-delivery commercial jets, intended to prevent passenger access to the cockpit. Airbus wrote to operators on 22 April stating certification has extended beyond projections. Once certification is achieved—now expected in the third quarter of 2026—airlines require a further 210 days for training and compliance. JetBlue has requested a regulatory extension to 31 July 2027, following a similar request by Horizon Air.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Passenger First Reported Missing Tyre on Porter Airlines E195-E2 After Take-Off
Canadian investigators have disclosed that a passenger, not crew, first alerted the flight deck of a Porter Airlines Embraer 195-E2 after a tyre separated from the aircraft on take-off from Edmonton on 22 February 2026. The crew confirmed via camera that the left outboard tyre was missing, executed a missed approach, declared an emergency, and entered a holding pattern to reduce landing weight before touching down safely on runway 15L. None of the 94 occupants was injured. Ground crews recovered most tyre components on the runway. Inspectors found damage to the left main landing-gear axle. Embraer and the landing-gear manufacturer are investigating the root cause of the axle failure.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Volaris Defers Fleet Growth Until Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage Engine Is Available
Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Volaris is deferring fleet growth until Pratt & Whitney’s GTF Advantage engine enters service, announcing on its first-quarter earnings call that its contractual fleet will shrink from 155 aircraft to approximately 137 by year-end 2027. Chief executive Enrique Beltranena said no incremental aircraft investments will be made until the GTF Advantage becomes available, with most 2027 and 2028 deliveries rescheduled into 2030 or later. Four to-be-delivered Airbus jets have already been sold to a lessor. The fleet-reduction plan cuts total lease liabilities by $360 million and unlocks $50 million in annual savings, while the revenue-generating fleet is expected to grow from 112 to approximately 125 aircraft.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Bangladesh Navy Receives Do228 After Comprehensive Overhaul at GA-ATS in Germany
The Bangladesh Navy has received a Dornier Do228 maritime patrol aircraft following an extensive maintenance, repair and overhaul programme conducted by General Atomics AeroTec Systems at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The work included a 72-month full-cycle scheduled inspection and a 12-year significant-item inspection, representing a comprehensive structural and systems overhaul of the twin-turboprop platform. A dedicated Bangladeshi Navy technical team observed the entire maintenance process on-site, gaining direct experience with Do228 airframe systems and receiving technical training from GA-ATS OEM specialists. A second Bangladeshi Do228 is expected to undergo the same overhaul later in 2026. GA-ATS holds the Dornier 228 type certificate following its acquisition of RUAG’s programme.
Sources: FlightGlobal
FAA Proposes Boeing 757 Fuselage Frame Inspection Directive After Repair Cracking Reports
The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed an airworthiness directive requiring operators of Boeing 757 airplanes to perform general visual inspections for crack damage at existing reinforcing repairs in the fuselage frame lower lobe. The proposed rule, published on 30 April, was prompted by reports of cracking at reinforcing repairs in sections 43 and 46, spanning stations 440 to 820 and 1300 to 1661 on both sides of the airframe. Without post-repair damage-tolerant inspections, undetected cracks at repaired frame locations could prevent a principal structural element from sustaining limit load, threatening airframe structural integrity. The FAA is accepting public comments through 15 June 2026.
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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