FAA Orders Aircraft Engine Bolt Replacement

John Wolz

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive calling for replacement of engine pylon bolts at an estimated cost of $1,200 per aircraft.
The bolt directive and another one involving bearing systems hardware affect the ALF 502 and LF 507 turbofan engines, according to The Weekly of Business Aviation.
A spokesperson for Honeywell, which purchased the ALF 502/LF 507 engine line that was part of Textron Lycoming�s Turbine Engine Division more than five years ago for $375 million, told Business Aviation that about 70% of the 507 aircraft and 50% of the 502 fleet already have been retrofitted with a new bearing/disk package. The spokesperson said 70% of the aircraft are in Honeywell�s Power-By-The-Hour program, so operators will incur no costs. AlliedSignal/Honeywell has invested nearly $30 million in product improvements since the acquisition in 1994.