Potentially two dozen Delta planes using engine parts not approved for use or sale by FAA

ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Delta Airlines and multiple other airline companies have reported some planes were outfitted with engine parts not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA first reported on July 25 that an investigation revealed that a London-based company sold engines and engine parts to several airlines that were not approved by the FAA and had improper certifications.

The FAA reported that parts provided by London-based AOG Technics were sold without approval or certification to Delta, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and others.

Channel 2 Action News has confirmed with Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines that the uncertified parts were present in parts of their aircraft fleets.

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United confirmed they had two planes affected and Southwest reported one.

Delta told Channel 2 Action News that about 1% of its fleet, which includes up to 2,800 planes including regional operators, was impacted.

Based on estimates calculated by Channel 2, the number of planes impacted would potentially be between 21 and 28 aircraft.

In a statement provided by Delta Air Lines, a company spokesman wrote:

“Delta has been informed by one of our engine service providers that a small number of engines they overhauled for us contain certain parts that do not meet documentation requirements. Working with the overhaul provider, we are in the process of replacing those parts and remain in compliance with all FAA guidelines - because safety is always our priority.”

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The report from the FAA said AOG Technics sold parts that are known as “bushings” for GE Model CF6 engines to TAP Maintenance and Engineering without approval by General Electric.

Additionally, the FAA noted that AOG is not an approved production holder.

According to the report by the federal agency, “the bushing sold by AOG Technics LTD” were falsified and the user and installer responsibilities documentation was missing. As a matter of course, the FAA reported that GE does not remove boilerplate language from the forms in question for the parts’ documentation.

Separate from the FAA’s report, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) reported on April 8 that parts distributed by AOG Technics were suspected to be unapproved for use or distribution.

An investigation by EASA did not yield information as to how the parts were provided or received, and “to date, AOG Technics has not provided information on the source of the parts, “ or of the falsified documents in question.

As a result, EASA issued an alert to airlines in an effort to have aircraft owners, operators, maintenance organizations and distributors inspect their records to determine if they have received parts from AOG Technics, either directly or indirectly.

EASA recommended parts be “quarantined” until officials can determine if the parts are safe to install, while already installed parts with falsified documents should be replaced.

A similar report was published on Aug. 4 by the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority. The report from the UK also noted that parts with falsified airworthiness release certificates, were in use, citing reports by both the EASA and FAA.

The CAA recommended organizations verify the origins of each certificate to determine which parts had false approval for use and to quarantine any parts matching to prevent installation on their aircraft or be replaced if already in use on planes.

In response to requests for comment by Channel 2 Action News, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines had the following statements:

“As we investigated this matter, we learned that compressor stator vane seals from this supplier had been installed on a single engine on each of two aircraft, including one that was already undergoing routine maintenance. We are replacing the affected engines on both aircraft before they are returned to service, and we’ll continue to investigate as new information becomes available from our suppliers,” United Media Relations said.

“We became aware of the issue in early August and took steps to ensure we do not have any parts in our fleet from AOG. Our suppliers conducted a review of Southwest parts and identified one engine that contained two low-pressure turbine blades from this vendor. In an abundance of caution, we made an immediate decision in August to promptly replace those parts on that single engine,” the Southwest PR Team said in a statement.

American Airlines responded to a request for comment by Channel 2 Action News Thursday, confirming some planes in their fleet were affected.

“Safety is the foundation on which our airline is built and operates every day. Through the work of internal audits as well as collaboration with our suppliers, we’ve identified the uncertified components on a small number of aircraft — each were immediately taken out of service for replacement. We’ll continue working with our suppliers and coordinating closely with the FAA to ensure these parts are no longer in our supply or otherwise in use on our aircraft,” an American Airlines spokeswoman said.

We have requested additional information about the number of planes that had the uncertified parts in use before the company replaced them.

Channel 2 Action News is waiting on a response from GE/Safran for information about how many of their planes were impacted.

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