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.

[Brenden S]

This happens especially when CASA is knocking on your door. Not good news.

[Russell D]

Back on topic...at least QF aren't taking any chances. And anyway, its all for the better safety for all the traveling public isn't it?

Who cares if its an audit or not, or whether CASA is knocking on the door, its a good thing that QF are taking the initiative and responding to the challenge appropriately.

Will such upgrades to meticulous maintenance standards also flow on to Jetstar as well?

[Ash W]

You know nick, we all know what happened to -OJK, but I don't think a report has come out yet stating why it happened and who is to blame. It may well be just one of those *hit happens type things.

As for these regular incindents most of them are just normal every day things that happen to an airline. Sure the 6 734's being pulled from service isn't, but the rest including this 747 issue are normal things. Qantas is dammed if they do and dammed if they don't with this kind of thing.

Also as we know the media is in a feeding frenzy with Qantas stories because the public just loves it. You also need to remember that Qantas is in dispute with it's maintenance people at the moment and it seems the union is throwing it's two bobs worth in on every occasion. I mean to say the ALEA is the one who has made 'comment' on this particular issue. All crap aside what business is it of them to make informed comment about what is a Qantas issue?