A330 damaged in CLT by vendor

[700UW]

Heard it might have Keel Beam damage, and that is a huge repair, US Mechanics have done it on Boeings with assistance from the Boeing Go Team.
 
Can be done on the bus, I heard Airbus coming in on the 20th too look at the plane.
 
This is the latest rumors I heard.
 
But its getting a C-Check, so the plane must be repairable.

 

[FL430]

Heard it might have Keel Beam damage, and that is a huge repair, US Mechanics have done it on Boeings with assistance from the Boeing Go Team.
 
Can be done on the bus, I heard Airbus coming in on the 20th too look at the plane.
 
This is the latest rumors I heard.
 
But its getting a C-Check, so the plane must be repairable.

Looks like the damage may have compromised the nose gear area. This area is in the forward e&e compartment which is part of the aircrafts' structural pressure vessel ( sometimes referred to as pressure bulkhead). It is really not a pressure bulkhead per se, but in fact part of the sealed nosegear pressure containment area, thus the need for such extensive and costly repairs. There are numerous strengthening gussets, doublers, fasteners, and sealant that make up this forward structure- the keel beam members starts just aft of this area and is tied into it for structural integrity.
It may be possible to repair it but question is by whom? This will most likely require a lot of engineering and the capabilities of the repair teams will certainly play a huge part in this as well as costs.

 

[topDawg]

I hear ya, just seems like salt in the wound anytime it happens...

Delta does the same in some stations. I see DGS, AirServ and Gate Gourmet trucks in Atlanta all the time that have Delta branding on them. I would bet at least some of the DGS/AirServ trucks use to belong to mainline. 
 

Looks like the damage may have compromised the nose gear area. This area is in the forward e&e compartment which is part of the aircrafts' structural pressure vessel ( sometimes referred to as pressure bulkhead). It is really not a pressure bulkhead per se, but in fact part of the sealed nosegear pressure containment area, thus the need for such extensive and costly repairs. There are numerous strengthening gussets, doublers, fasteners, and sealant that make up this forward structure- the keel beam members starts just aft of this area and is tied into it for structural integrity.
It may be possible to repair it but question is by whom? This will most likely require a lot of engineering and the capabilities of the repair teams will certainly play a huge part in this as well as costs.

it would almost have to be airbus. AA, UA and DL might be able to make a repair such as this but it would still involve a ton of support from the OEM.  

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Looks like the damage may have compromised the nose gear area. This area is in the forward e&e compartment which is part of the aircrafts' structural pressure vessel ( sometimes referred to as pressure bulkhead). It is really not a pressure bulkhead per se, but in fact part of the sealed nosegear pressure containment area, thus the need for such extensive and costly repairs. There are numerous strengthening gussets, doublers, fasteners, and sealant that make up this forward structure- the keel beam members starts just aft of this area and is tied into it for structural integrity.
It may be possible to repair it but question is by whom? This will most likely require a lot of engineering and the capabilities of the repair teams will certainly play a huge part in this as well as costs.

I am quite sure US/AA has the skilled structures (sheet metal) technicians to do this repair. It is fairly straightforward. Properly shore the aircraft, then inspect, identify, and remove the damage. Replace and repair as needed. The hard part may be getting the replacement structural components from Airbus in a timely manner (the ones that cannot be fabricated in-house).

At NWA, our team tackled several complex repairs like this. We would pick a team of our top people and they would work two crews, 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week, until it was complete. This way you were always turning over to the same guys each shift. One lead worked with each crew to keep track of the progress, maintaining the turnover logs, work cards, etc. We would have one engineer (usually the DER) assigned to the job who interfaced with the manufacturer to get their approval for any non-SRM covered repairs.

 

[700UW]

PMUS in CLT has done similar repairs before.
 
They have replaced keel beams on 737s before, and have done major sheet metal repairs over the years.
 
An A321 tail strike and two F100 belly landings.
 
I am sure that Airbus Go Team along with PMUS mechanics will be able to fix it as good as new.
 
The PMUS Mechanics in CLT are performing a C-Check along with the repair, the plane is 1 1/2 years old, so it shouldnt be written off.
 
I know the vendor and their insurance company will be cutting PMUS a pretty hefty check to cover the repair and loss of revenue.
 
You should have seen what they did to the former Eastern 757s that US bought from Boeing.
 
They did a major cabin modification with moving galleys and lavs around on the former 10 EA birds, planes were jacked up and all windows removed and the CLT Mechanics along with Plant Maintenance built huge wooden structures and ran it through the empty window to support the plane in three places so no fuselage bending would take place.
 
They are quite skilled and will be able to fix this, but I bet Airbus Go Team will assist like what has been done in the past in major structural repairs.

 

[737823]

Will the vendor employee be given a CDD?

Josh

 

[700UW]

Check out this repair to a Qantas 744 that overshot the runway.
 
http://www.slideshare.net/Art37/qantas-repair

 

[jimntx]

Just FYI, and as a perfect example of how galley gossip works, but is usually inaccurate.  A f/a friend from another base called me today to tell me about the catering vendor truck which "damaged an A321 at Philadelphia yesterday" so badly that the plane is a total loss.  You guys are way behind on your news.  It's been over 24 hours since the incident and not a word from any of you.  

 

[jimntx]

Check out this repair to a Qantas 744 that overshot the runway.
 
http://www.slideshare.net/Art37/qantas-repair

700, that is incredible.  Thanks for posting.  Question:  Does anyone know the make of airplane in slide 17?  The airplane that delivered the repair parts.  It looks sorta like one of those bombers from the Strategic Air Command; except it's not.  The way it opens up, it was built as a cargo plane.

 

[700UW]

Antonov 124-100 Cargo Plane, Russian made, or well know I believe its in the Ukraine.

 

[Kev3188]

Yep, it's an AN-124. They're quite a sight to behold in person.

P.S. Nice to see a NW LD-3 in the shot...

 

[robbedagain]

ive seen that AN124 in both BOS and BWI   its incredible what it can carry    and thanks 700 for that Qantas article   it was a terrific read and the pics were incredible.     Who did the maintaince  work on the 734 yrs ago when the left main gear would not come down on approach to GSO   the one where the chocks were in the wheel well

 

[700UW]

I got to go up on an AN124 when it was in CLT.
 
Huge plane, but very old technology, the radio room had tubes in it.
 
The plane was fixed by US, as was the F100 that had no nose gear upon landing in CLT.

 

[robbedagain]

thanks 700

 

[CLTRob]

Any word on if the damaged A332 will be able to return to service? Thought I read mid-January.