The likely cause of the F-35A engine fire June 23 that eventually resulted in a fleetwide grounding is excessive rubbing between the turbine blades and the cowling, Aviation Week is reporting. The information about the cause of the fire comes from Frank Kendall, Pentagon procurement chief.
More from the article:
Inspections of other F-35 engines indicate the problem is not endemic to the fleet, he told reporters during a July 13 roundtable here prior to the Farnborough air show, which starts tomorrow. Pratt & Whitney makes the F135 engine; Lockheed Martin leads the airframe team for the F-35.
“The evidence we have so far – we do not see at this point what I call a systemic problem,” Kendall said. “We understand to a degree what happened here. The question is why did it happen.”
Full article here:
http://aviationweek.com/farnborough-2014/blade-rubbing-root-f-35a-engine-fire
