DISPATCHER RPT ON THE DELAY OF VITAL ACFT INFO RELATIVE TO AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS FOR ACFT IN SVC THAT HAD THE POTENTIAL FOR A MAJOR ACFT EQUIP PROB.

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I AM A LICENSED ACFT DISPATCHER WORKING FOR ABC AIRLINES. THE FOLLOWING SIT OCCURRED AT THE END OF AN OTHERWISE ROUTINE DAY. AT APPROX XA50 CST ON DEC/XX/94 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DFW EQUIP COORDINATOR STATING THAT DFW- SEA; MD-80; CERTIFICATE NUMBER A WOULD REQUIRE AN ENG CHANGE AFTER LNDG. THE MAINT MGR ON DUTY IN TUL HAD INFORMED HIM; AND HE IN TURN WAS RELAYING THE INFO. JUST THEN; MY OTHER PHONE RANG AND I WENT ONTO THE NEXT CALL BEFORE INQUIRING ANY FURTHER. WHILE ON HIS SECOND CALL; A FELLOW DISPATCHER DROPPED A NOTE ON MY DESK ASKING THAT I SEE HER REFING ACFT B. SHE TOLD ME THAT AT XC57 CST SHE WAS INFORMED BY THE SAME MAINT MGR IN TUL THAT HER FLT B DFW-ABQ; MD-80 WOULD NEED TO RETURN TO DFW. THE FLT HAD ONLY BEEN AIRBORNE FOR A FEW MINS. THE WORD WAS THAT A PARTS PROCESSING ERROR HAD BEEN DISCOVERED IN THE ENG REBUILD SHOP IN TUL. 3 FOLLOW-UP ENG RUNS WITH REBUILT MOTORS FROM THE SAME FACILITY HAD RESULTED IN 3 ENG FAILURES. A RECORDS SEARCH LOCATED ALL ACFT WITH THE PROB ENGS. THEY WERE TO HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM SVC BUT WERE MISTAKENLY ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. AT THE TIME; I WAS ADVISED OF THE SIT WAS APPROX 125 NM SE OF TWF AND HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR ALMOST 2 1/2 HRS. ADDITIONALLY; YOU WILL NOTE FROM THE ATTACHED RTE DOCUMENTATION THAT WE WERE FACING A POTENTIAL ENG OUT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN A 2 ENG ACFT. I IMMEDIATELY ADVISED THE CREW VIA THE ONBOARD ACARS UNIT AND RECEIVED A PROMPT ACKNOWLEDGMENT. FORTUNATELY; THE ENG IN QUESTION DID NOT FAIL AND THE FLT HAD A ROUTINE CONCLUSION. THE DELAY IN INFO DISSEMINATION AND THE LACK OF A CONSISTENT RESPONSE BY THE TUL MGR INVOLVED ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. A TIMELY PROC FOR DIRECTLY INVOLVING THE ACFT DISPATCHER WHEN ANY MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY EXISTS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS TYPE OF SIT FROM OCCURRING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 291623: 37 MINS OUT-TO-OFF DUE TO RAMP AND TXWY CONGESTION. AT XA37Z ACARS MSG FROM DISPATCH ASKING ME TO CONTACT THEM AND TELL WHAT WAS HAPPENING. ON CONTACT-DISPATCH QUERIED IF WE WERE EXPERIENCING MAINT PROB AND RETURNING. ANSWER WAS NO -- TAXIING FOR TKOF -- SLOW DUE TO CONGESTION. AFTER TKOF; CLBING THROUGH 13000; W OF DFW; ACARS NOTIFIED US TO RETURN TO DFW -- THAT ACFT WAS NOT TO BE FLYING -- THERE WAS A PROB WITH THE PAPERWORK FOR A LOW PRESSURE TURBINE ON ONE OF THE ENGS. PLEASE RETURN TO DFW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. RETURNED TO DFW UNEVENTFULLY WITH A LNDG WT OF 130000 LBS. CHANGED EQUIP AND PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO ABQ.