Bombardier and GE say the 15 August in-flight engine flameout on the second Global 7000 flight-test vehicle (FTV2) was “an isolated event”, and the ultra-long-range business jet remains on track for certification and service entry in 2018.
According to a preliminary report issued by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, FTV2 – with the registration C-GBLB – was flying at 41,000ft when its right GE Passport engine experienced an in-flight flameout following high vibration and high inter-turbine temperature readings. The incident occurred at 17:38 local time, 156nm (290km) from the Bombardier flight-test centre at Wichita airport, Kansas.
Bombardier
“Safety is our top priority” Bombardier says in a 21 August statement. “Our test pilots, following an occurrence last week, followed standard procedures and returned to base uneventfully.”
After a thorough investigation, Bombardier and GE have determined that “the root cause” of the incident was an “isolated event” and the Global 7000 certification campaign remains unaffected, it says.
The three aircraft in the flight-test fleet have flown more than 500h and the final test articles, FTV4 and FTV5, will join the programme shortly. Six customer aircraft are now in production, says Bombardier, “and final assembly line activities are ramping up”.
Bombardier
Launched in 2013, the 7,400nm (13,700km) range Global 7000 is the largest and longest-range business jet in Bombardier’s seven-strong line-up.
Source: Flight International
