The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported this weekend that a Marine V-22 Osprey experienced a hydraulic leak that led to an engine fire last Thursday:
The Marine MV-22, assigned to the squadron that is expected to be the first to be deployed overseas this year, was preparing to take off from the Marine base at New River, N.C., when the crew got warnings of a fire and hydraulic leak in the right-hand engine nacelle.
An official statement released by the Marines public affairs office at New River called the incident "a minor nacelle fire."
...
But a former Marine V-22 maintenance supervisor, Josh Brannon, said "it's silly to suggest any fire is minor." Had the fire occurred a few minutes later during flight "they could have been having a funeral," said Brannon, who now supervises maintenance of medical-evacuation helicopters in South Carolina.
According to an early report of the incident sent out by the Naval Aviation Maintenance Discrepancy Reporting Program, this is not as minor as a problem as the Marine Corps public affairs office at New River indicates. The report states:
THIS IS A PROBLEM WE HAVE SEEN IN OTHER SQUADRONS. IT IS APPARENT THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE MV-22 COMMUNITY. THIS IS THE 10TH REPORTED INSIDENT [sic] OF AN EAPS QD [Engine Air Particle Seperator Quick Disconnect] BACKING OFF. [emphasis is POGO's; here is the full report]
In February, the Naval Air Systems Command issued a notice that it is going to award Bell-Boeing, the V-22's contractor a sole source contract "for the non-recurring development and recurring implementation of design solution in both production and retrofit for the V-22 Engine Air Particle Separator (EAPS)." This contract is intended to fix the problem.
The V-22's hydraulic problems are not new. According to the Defense Department Inspector General in 2002:
The V-22 was produced with a less-than-optimal hydraulic system because the V-22 Program Manager (PMA-275) did not exercise sufficient oversight of the hydraulic system's design: PMA-275 did not specifically monitor the reliability rates of the hydraulic system's performance.
The Star-Telegram's Bob Cox also reported:
A more serious nacelle fire occurred on a Marine MV-22 at New River in December. The Marines said that fire, which erupted moments after the plane landed, caused at least $1 million in damage to the aircraft.
That fire was caused when the titanium fitting on the hydraulic line failed and spurted fluid.
The aircraft has suffered other engine nacelle fires caused by leaking hydraulic fluid, including some that the Marines have not publicly acknowledged, according to internal Marine correspondence provided to the Star-Telegram.
POGO will continue monitoring the V-22 program. The GAO noted in a report last week that the "Design stability of Block B--the deployed configuration [of the V-22]--will be better known after its limited operational assessment in late 2007...A bearing defect has been found in some critical assemblies of production aircraft and is being addressed."
-- Nick Schwellenbach
TO AIG 423
AL
423(UC)
CC CG 2ND MAW(uc)
COMMARFORCOM(uc)
COMNAVAIRLANT NORFOLK
VA
COMNAVAIRSYSCOM PATUXENT RIVER MD(UC)
MALS 29(UC)
MALS 26(uc)
PEOASWASM PATUXENT RIVER MD(UC)
VMMT 204(uc)
NAVICP PHILADELPHIA
PA(UC)
MAG 29(uc)
CG II MEF(uc)
VMM 263(uc)
PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
FM COMNAVAIRSYSCOM
PATUXENT RIVER
MD//DRPO// TO NAVAIRDEPOT CHERRY PT NC AIG
423 INFO CG SECOND MAW//ALD-B// COMMARFORCOM//ALD-B// COMNAVAIRLANT NORFOLK VA//N411D/N42166/N421C//
COMNAVAIRSYSCOM PATUXENT RIVER MD//1/2H/3/4.1.1.2/DRPO// MALS TWO NINE//MO//
MALS TWO SIX//AMO/ASO/FIT// NAVAIRDEPOT CHERRY PT NC//6.4.3// PEOASWASM
PATUXENT RIVER MD//PMA275// VMMT TWO ZERO FOUR//QA/QAO// NAVICP PHILADELPHIA
PA//0322/0322A// MAG TWO NINE//ADJ// CG II MEF//ALD-B// VMM TWO SIX
THREE//040/AMO/MMCO/QA// //N04790// MSGID/GENADMIN/COMNAVAIRSYSCOM PAX DRPO//
SUBJ/V-22 COUPLING,AIRCRAFT QUICK DISCONNECT
AE99112E HMR-EI// REF/A/DOC/COMNAVAIRFORINST 4790.2 CH-1/01MAY2006// AMPN/REF A
IS THE NAVAL AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS// RMKS/
THIS MESSAGE WAS AUTO GENERATED FROM THE NAMDRP WEBSITE FOR NON-WEB SITE
CAPABLE ORGANIZATIONS.
THE REPORT WAS ORIGINATED BY:
------ VMM TWO SIX THREE/040.
IF RESPONSE VIA WEB SITE IS NOT POSSIBLE, TO: LINE RECIPIENTS SHOULD ADDRESS
RESPONSE DIRECTLY TO:
------ VMM TWO SIX THREE/040 WHEN APPROPRIATE. THIS DISCREPANCY REPORT WILL BE
PROCESSED VIA THE NAMDRP WEBSITE. FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR REAL TIME STATUS VISIT
THE NAMDRP WEB SITE AT:
NAMDRP.NAVAIR.NAVY.MIL.
1. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2. NAVAIRDEPOT CHERRY PT NC
3. V09445-07-0030
4. 07089/MCAS NEW RIVER,
N.C.
5. 0Q, 1680-015191501, V2
6. COUPLING,AIRCRAFT QUICK DISCONNECT AE99112E
7A. EATON, 60624, JACKSON,
MI
7B. N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A
7C. N/A, N/A, N/A
8. AE99112E
9. UNK, UNK
10A. N/A
10B. N/A
10C. N/A
10D. N/A
11. UNK
12. N/A
13. 116.4 FLIGHT HOURS
14. UNK
15. 0, 0, 0, 0
16A. MV-22B, 166685
16B. N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A
17.789.00 DOLLARS/2 MHRS/825.00 DOLLARS
18. YES
19. UNK, N/A
20. 718203
21A.
UNIT THAT WILL SHIP EXHIBIT: MALS-26 SUPPLY
21B. EXHIBIT HELD AT MALS-26 SUPPLY AWAITING DISPOSITION INSTRUCTIONS.
FST RESPONSE REQUIRED
22A. AFTER RIGHT HAND ENGINE FIRE, AND A HYD THREE LOW . THE RIGHT HAND
ENGINE AREA WAS INSPECTED. THE RIGHT HAND INBOARD EAPS CASE DRAIN QUICK
DISCONNECT WAS FOUND TO BE BACKED OFF. THIS IS A PROBLEM WE HAVE SEEN IN
OTHER SQUADRONS. IT IS APPARENT THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE MV-22
COMMUNITY. THIS IS THE 10TH REPORTED INSIDENT OF AN EAPS QD BACKING OFF.
EAPS BLOWER MOTOR 35 HOUR INSPECTION. WAS PERFORMED 27.5 HOURS AGO.
22B. AIRCRAFT NON MISSION CAPABLE. POSSIBLE LOSS OF AIRCRAFT
AND CREW. DECREASED
AIRCRAFT AVAILABILITY AND INCREASED MAINTENANCE MAN HOURS.
22C. 10
22D. RIGHT HAND ENGINE FIRE AND A HYDRAULIC 3
LOW.
22E. N/A
22F. NAMDRP WEB SITE HAS A SUPPORTING DOCUMENT
ATTACHED. ACCESS WEB SITE TO VIEW SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS.
22G. N/A
22H. WE FEEL THAT REPLACING THE QDS WITH A
STANDARD HYDRAULIC FITTING WOULD ELIMINATE THIS ISSUE.
22I. MV-22B / 166685 22J2. 166685
22K. N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A
22L1A. NA
22L1B. N/A
22L2. N/A
22L3. N/A
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