2023-09-04 14:45:43
The aircraft engine manufacturer CFM has alerted its customers to parts whose certification documents have been “falsified” by a supplier, we learned on Monday from the joint venture of Safran and GE.
The engines concerned are of the CFM56 type and equip both the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 NG, two generations of single-aisle medium-haul aircraft now replaced by the A320neo and 737 MAX respectively. These notably use new-generation “Leap” reactors from CFM, not affected by the alert.
34,000 CFM56s produced
No details were given on the number of engines potentially concerned, in this case noted by the Bloomberg agency. The CFM56 were produced in 34,000 copies. For its part, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), informed by CFM, has opened an investigation into the British company AOG Technics, suspected of having distributed “unapproved parts” to maintenance workshops.
“Several parts of CFM56 engines distributed by AOG Technics were supplied with falsified certificates”, the certification bodies cited having indicated that the documents concerned “did not come from their organization”, indicated the EASA in a press release issued last month. last. Contacted by AFP, AOG Technics did not answer the phone at its London headquarters on Monday noon. Its website was also inaccessible.
If the parts are already installed, the agency recommends replacing them
“We fully support the regulators’ investigation into falsified certification documents accompanying parts sold by AOG Technics,” a CFM spokesperson said in a statement. The Franco-American company stressed that it had no connection with AOG Technics, directly or via its parent companies. “We have taken the initiative to alert our customers and service shops, and continue to work with our customers to assess the authenticity of the documents of parts obtained directly or indirectly from AOG Technics”, according to the same source.
EASA required aircraft owners or operators and maintenance organizations to “inspect their records to determine if any aircraft or engine parts were obtained from AOG Technics, directly or indirectly”, and verify the authenticity of their certificates.
In the event of proven tampering, “any part concerned should be put aside to prevent its installation”, added the EASA. If the parts are already installed, the agency recommends replacing them with approved parts.
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