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FAA: 'Urgent' repairs needed for Boeing 787 jet engines

By Marilyn Malara
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on May 20, 2013. The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated "urgent" fixes on 787 engines over icing issues. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on May 20, 2013. The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated "urgent" fixes on 787 engines over icing issues. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, April 23 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration issued an "urgent" safety mandate aimed at at least 150 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and their General Electric engines.

In an Airworthiness Directive issued Friday, the FAA noted the engines were susceptible to sudden shutdowns during flights due to ice build-up.

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Airlines flying the high-tech 787 Dreamliner have been ordered, via the Federal Register, to repair or replace at least one GEnx-1B PIP2 engine with older models on each plane immediately.

The companies have 150 days to comply. Pilots will also be briefed on new instructions on how to prevent engine icing at high altitudes.

The "urgent safety issue" stems from an incident in January when a Dreamliner sustained an in-flight non-restartable power loss at 20,000 feet due to icing, according to CNN. There have been no major accidents associated to the problem.

"The urgency of this issue stems from the safety concern over continued safe flight and landing for airplanes that are powered by two GEnx-1B PIP2 engines operating in a similar environment to the event airplane," the FAA said.

"In this case both GEnx-1B PIP2 engines may be similarly damaged and unable to be restarted in flight. The potential for common cause failure of both engines in flights is an urgent safety issue."

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Icing of engine blades can cause them to rub as ice breaks off, prompting unwanted vibration and damage.

This isn't the first time Boeing 787 Dreamliners have faced issues. In May 2015, Boeing discovered a software glitch during routine testing that had the potential to cause power outages at 35,000 feet.

In 2013, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board opened a safety inquiry after multiple reports of a fuel leak and one report involving electrical wiring. That same month, the FAA officially grounded all 787 airliners due to a potential fire hazard with its battery system -- the first time the agency removed any aircraft model from flight since 1979.

Flights resumed in April 2013 after Boeing redesigned the battery system and in March 2014, after a long review of the aircraft, the FAA announced the 787 Dreamliner safe. However, that same month Boeing discovered manufacturing defects in the wings of 43 jetliners.

The issue led to production delays at the time, but was eventually fixed.

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