The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered the replacement of turbine components in certain engines used on the Airbus A380 after an uncontained failure forced an aircraft to abort its takeoff.
The airworthiness directive, published on October 8, 2026, targets 15 high-pressure turbine interstage seals in Engine Alliance GP7200-series engines. It takes effect on October 23, 2026, with the most urgent replacements required within 50 flight cycles or 30 days, whichever comes first.
According to the FAA, an A380 equipped with GP7270 engines experienced an uncontained failure of an interstage seal, resulting in an engine shutdown and an aborted takeoff. The directive does not identify the airline, aircraft registration or date of the incident.
An uncontained failure occurs when debris escapes the engine’s containment structure, potentially damaging other parts of the aircraft.
The manufacturer’s investigation found that cracking most likely began at locating features between the interstage seal and the shaft extending from the first-stage turbine disk. Investigators identified relative rotation of the seal, described as “clocking,” as a contributing factor.
The manufacturer found greater movement in seals that had been reassembled during overhaul. The root cause remains under investigation.
The FAA is requiring removal of the 15 seals with the highest number of flight cycles since overhaul. It warned that another failure could cause an engine fire and damage the aircraft.
The directive applies to specified seals installed in GP7270, GP7272 and GP7277 engines, rather than every engine in the fleet. It divides the affected parts into three groups, with replacement deadlines ranging from 50 flight cycles or 30 days to 150 flight cycles or 90 days after the effective date, whichever comes first.
Operators must replace the affected seals with parts eligible for installation under an Engine Alliance alert service bulletin dated September 4, 2026.
The FAA adopted the rule without first seeking public comments, citing the safety risk and the short compliance deadlines. It described the directive as an interim measure and said further rulemaking could follow once a final corrective action is identified.
The agency estimates replacement costs at $528,150 per affected engine, including $527,300 for parts. It said no engines installed on US-registered aircraft are affected.
The FAA did not specify how many aircraft have the affected components installed.