DOD suspends F-35 flight operations after finding engine blade crack
By: Nancy Cook
Updated: February 22, 2013
The Department of Defense announced at 3:02 this afternoon that it has suspended all F-35 flight operations after routine engine inspection revealed a crack on an engine blade of the F135 engine installed in F-35A aircraft AF-2 operating at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Engineering teams
are shipping the engine's turbine module and its associated hardware to Pratt
& Whitney's Engine Facility in Middletown, Conn., to conduct more thorough
evaluation and root cause analysis.
As a precautionary measure, all F-35 flight
operations have been suspended until the investigation is complete. It is
too early to know the fleet-wide impact of the recent finding.
The F-35 Joint
Program Office is working closely with Pratt & Whitney and Lockheed Martin
at all F-35 locations to ensure the integrity of the engine, and to return the
fleet safely to flight as soon as possible.
