Pratt Said to Assess Neo Engine Vibrations as FAA Weighs Action
- FAA says it’s looking into issue; too soon to issue guidance
- Engine maker’s turbine troubles have prompted plane groundings
A Pratt & Whitney engine sits on the wing of an Airbus A320neo aircraft.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
Pratt & Whitney is investigating incidents of excessive vibration in its engines that power Airbus SE’s A320neo aircraft, the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the new turbine, according to people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. manufacturer, a unit of Farmington, Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp., has yet to identify the cause and is assessing if there is a connection to prior design issues, the people said, asking not to be identified as the process isn’t public. Pilots have in some instances received alerts of high vibration levels during flights, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is looking into the matter.