The National Transportation Safety Board has directed the Federal Aviation Administration to update advisory circulars on turbine engine design to mitigate risks from uncontained rotor failures.
Safety recommendation
The National Transportation Safety Board has directed the Federal Aviation Administration to update advisory circulars on turbine engine design to mitigate risks from uncontained rotor failures.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued safety recommendation A-18-005, designated DCA17FA021, addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration. This directive urges the agency to revise Advisory Circular 20-128A, which covers design considerations for minimizing hazards caused by uncontained turbine engine and auxiliary power unit rotor failure. The NTSB bases this request on an analysis of uncontained engine failure data collected since the original advisory circular was issued. The goal is to minimize hazards to airplanes and their occupants in the event of such failures. Specifically, the recommendation calls for modifications to accepted design precautions for fuel tanks, citing fires that have occurred following uncontained engine failures. This update aims to address identified gaps in current design standards to enhance overall aviation safety.