Qantas grounds jet, crucial maintenance

[Russell D]

Here we go again:

From Yahoo7 aap

August 14, 2008, 5:38 am

Qantas has grounded one of its Boeing 747 jets because a crucial screw, which could lead to the aircraft's tail breaking away if it failed, needed urgent maintenance.

Qantas confirmed flight QF31 from Sydney to London was delayed because of "maintenance requirements associated with a horizontal stabiliser jack screw", Fairfax has reported.

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association secretary Steve Purvinas said the screw could seize up, leading to a disaster, if it was not lubricated regularly.

An Alaska Airlines MD-80 jetliner crashed off the coast of Los Angeles eight years ago, killing all 88 people on board, after its horizontal stabiliser jammed.

"The jack screw is an important component that has been known to seize up in the past," Mr Purvinas told Fairfax.

"Regular lubrication and checking of the jack screw is vital because corrosion poses a real risk and must be eliminated to prevent this key component from seizing up."

A Qantas spokesman confirmed there was an issue involving the lubrication of a jack screw on a Boeing 747-400.

" Qantas found this through a routine check of our maintenance records," the spokesman said.

"The jack screw had been inspected and the aircraft will operate tomorrow."

He rejected any comparison to the Alaskan Airlines flight, saying that was a different aircraft design with different safety features.

It comes after Qantas announced on Tuesday it would temporarily pull six aircraft from service after discovering an irregularity with maintenance paperwork during a routine check.