The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an airworthiness directive (AD 2023-0165) ordering all Trent 1000 engine operators – which are mainly installed on 787 aircraft – to inspect all low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 blade assemblies following reports of “cracking and separation in the weld region on a small number of affected parts during engine running” that could lead to engine failure.
EASA warns that “if a significant number of blade pairs in a blade set are separated, this could change the vibration characteristic of the LPT stage 1 bladed set and lead to the release of blade material during engine running”. If not detected and corrected, EASA warns, “damage may be caused to the LPT module and lead to engine in-flight shut-down (IFSD), possibly resulting in reduced control of the aeroplane”.
EASA orders all inspections (on-wing or in-shop) of the affected parts to be conducted before the engine exceeds 30,000 flight hours accumulated by the affected part since first installation or within 90 days of the date of the AD issued on August 22, 2023. If any cracking is discovered on more than 32 pairs of blades, the engine is to be removed from service and all affected parts replaced.