Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) has ordered all its customers an inspection of their aircraft A400M military transport, a copy of which crashed in Seville (southern Spain) in early May. “DS Airbus sent an alert Operational notes (AOT) to all operators of the A400M to inform an inspection to be performed on the fleet” , announced Tuesday the aircraft manufacturer in a statement. Currently, twelve A400M are in service in five countries. This decision was taken following the discovery of a potential anomaly on the computer system managing engines. According to Reuters, the preliminary findings would point it’s more of a quality issue than
assembly design.
Note “asks operators perform specific and regular checks of the ECU (the electronic control unit, ie) on each engine of the aircraft before flight and perform additional checks after possible replacement engine or ECU “. The ECU is one of the two computers that make up the complex computer system control and monitoring motors (FADEC), developed by the German group MTU Aero Engines. The FADEC had already been the cause of many delays of the A400M program.
The FADEC ( Full Automatic Digital Engine Control ) is a system computer responsible for controlling motors, which equips all modern aircraft. The FADEC consists of the A400M, for engine, two computers and their software. The two computers are the Engine Control Unit (ECU), responsible for motor control and propeller, and Engine Protection and Monitoring Unit (EPMU) overseeing critical functions in the event of failure of the ECU and to provide the information necessary for maintenance. The FADEC A400M is particularly complex: it includes instructions 275.000, against about 90,000 for those of the A380 or the Rafale. The complexity is increased by the inclusion of the regulation of the propeller and nacelle equipment.
DS Airbus has so far not established a link with the accident at the A400M in Spain, which has 4 dead – two pilots and two engineers – and two seriously injured on 9 May. The device, which was on a test flight before delivery to Turkey scheduled for July, crashed shortly after takeoff. The group said it had sent this information “immediately, the authorities responsible for the investigation” in Spain.
A software problem?
The investigation is being conducted by the Commission of technical survey of military aircraft accidents (CITAAM), which will present its findings to the Spanish magistrate hearing the case. According to an expert of the sector on condition of anonymity, the potential problem identified by Airbus DS may result in loss of control of engine power. The magazine website “Der Spiegel” citing sources in the entourage of Airbus evoked as a possible cause of the accident a software problem that would have led to the discontinuation of three engines, a technical problem against which the pilots could do anything.
In his note, Airbus DS simply indicates that “to avoid any potential risk during flights coming (he) has informed the actions of operators necessary to perform “. These elements result “internal analyzes Airbus DS and is part of its ongoing airworthiness, regardless of the official investigation underway” , according to the note. This would mean that incidents have already been identified during previous flights.
The black boxes not used
As a sign of confidence in the unit, Airbus has organized 12 May 1st test flight from Toulouse to Marseille on board the boss of Airbus Military, Fernando Alonso. But Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom and Malaysia have maintained A400M flights suspended pending the results of the investigation. Measures confirmed by Berlin and Ankara after the announcement of the DS Airbus warning note. Only France, which has the largest number of A400M (6 copies) and that has permissions for the priority flights in operation.
In Paris, the Defense Ministry recalled after Airbus announced this warning notes DS have “ordered earlier this year a report to Tom Enders (the CEO of Airbus Group, parent, ed) on capacity and of the A400M delivery schedule “. “We expect the response to early summer before making a decision on the A400M” , the ministry said.
In Germany, army Air Airbus received warning note and is currently studying it. The Defense Ministry, however, stressed that the manufacturer can not establish that these are the cause of the accident because they have not yet been compared to the data of the black boxes of the device. These have not yet been exploited, said a source close to the matter told AFP. In Madrid, the Ministry of Defence has refused to comment before the results of the investigation. The Spanish Minister of Defence, Pedro Morenes, ruled on the suspension of flights, while the A400M in Seville is produced.
A curses program
Technical problems on engines for the A400M are largely responsible for the woes of the program, the first aircraft was delivered in 2013, four years late. The TP400 turboprop designed by EPI Europrop International consortium, which includes the French Snecma (Safran group), the British Rolls Royce, ITP Spanish and German MTU.
The program also known to significant additional costs, with a final bill of around 30 billion euros against just over 20 billion initially planned. A total of 174 A400M aircraft have been ordered by eight countries.
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