Incident Overview
On 24 March 2015, an Embraer 170-100 (registration SP-LDE) operated by PLL LOT S.A. was initiating takeoff on runway 29 at Warsaw Chopin Airport (EPWA). During engine power setting, the crew heard a loud bang. The first officer, who was the pilot flying, immediately rejected the takeoff. The aircraft taxied back to the parking stand for inspection.
Findings
Technical personnel performed a borescope inspection of engine number 2 (ESN 193385). The examination revealed damage to the 4th and 5th stages of the high-pressure compressor (HPC): the 4th stage had damaged guide vanes, and the 5th stage had damaged rotor blades. The decision was made to replace the affected engine. The aircraft was subsequently withdrawn from service.
Cause
The investigation determined that the incident was caused by contact between rotor blades and stator blades of the high-pressure compressor. This contact occurred due to material fatigue of a stator element.
Preventive Actions
The operator, PLL LOT S.A., undertook several preventive measures following the incident. These included issuing a recommendation for pilots to use CLIMB2 power instead of CLIMB1, distributing a Special Safety Bulletin for Embraer fleet crews regarding a similar engine issue on a different aircraft (SP-LIO), and swapping engines within the Embraer fleet to ensure at least one modified engine per aircraft. The operator also activated engine data transmission via ACARS to GE servers on aircraft with LOAD 25.4 software, and planned software updates for the remaining fleet. Modifications to prevent rotor-stator contact were scheduled for all affected engines, with a target completion date of 1 April 2015. Several information bulletins were issued to maintain crew awareness.
The investigation committee did not formulate any safety recommendations.