Cactus 1549

In 2007, a string of Airbus Industrie A320 worldwide operators reported compressor stalls by “highly deteriorated HPCs” in their GE 56-5B turbofans to GE Aviation (GEA), FAA and EASA. http://tinyurl.com/dayvv4 The same engines engines on Cactus 1549.

As the directive explains, GEA first reacted to the stall reports by devising engine software 5QB update to reduce the occurrence and severity of HPC deterioration on GE-powered A320s. Then the stall incidents, after the 5QB update, reoccurred. 5QB was a dud. So GEA issued a maintenance directive to all 56-5B-powered operators to ground test their units and replace any that produced EGT over 80 Celsius with a brand new 56-5B. This means GEA wasn’t able to find a workable fix besides full replacement of a used deteriorated random ticking time bomb with a new random bomb should EGT (safely parked on the ground with no such luxury in midair) exceed 80C. Nothing novel here, once a design is flawed it’s next to impossible to reengineer once in production. Then an Air France A320 with GE 56-5Bs compressor stalled out of Tunis in December and the European Aviation Safety Agency and GEA released an “Emergency Airworthiness Directive” (2008-0227-E) on Dec. 23, 2008. The original GEA directive, essentially, now EASA stamped with “Emergency” affixed.

So that there is no confusion, the GE 56-5B high pressure compressor was rendered “Emergency” by its own manufacturer.

The same Cactus 1549 aircraft with different crew double compressor stalled over Newark climbing up to cruise in January 13, 2009, two days prior to the Hudson regatta. http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/01/flight_1549_had_engine_problem.html

1549’s HPCs that stalled over the Bronx were the same units that stalled over Newark. USAir didn’t replace these units, the only option by GEA’s terse emergency directive, both obviously and unmistakably deteriorated contrary to NTSB’s gibberish of dud temperature sensor (Sorry, NTSB, a bum sensor doesn’t go BANG with cabin electrical loss), with brand new 56-5Bs in the 72 hour layover. USAir put the plane and deteriorated HPCs back in service as is. Two days later 1549 took off from La Guardia, both engines stalled at 2800’ and the pilot glided down into the Hudson, and out waddled the bird story.

The GE 56-5B line and Cactus 1549’s service record 100% undermine the bird story. Leaving only the matter of deconstructing the extensively edited audio tapes plus transcripts, NTSB clown routine and media disinformation to explain how the fleece job was pulled off.

GE Aviation sequestered 1549’s engines as soon as detached and/or salvaged and shipped them back to its Ohio headquarters, concealing the culprit HPCs. Not long after, the alleged story of “Branta Canadensis” “feathers” recovered from 1549’s engines emerged, as if any feather would loiter after a 140-150nm extended rinse cycle in the Hudson already riddled with innumerable detached waterfowl feathers. USAir sequestered the two pilots in seclusion and imposed a media blackout. Then the spin doctors set to work transforming crew error which, if true that hit birds, would be monumental neglect, into “Hero pilot,” snubbing the flight attendants and ferry boat crews to focus on and idolize P-in-C, Chesley Sullenberger. Then the spin went from the sublime to the ridiculous with a toweled off Chesley taking a bow to great applause at the Superbowl. No doubt each Superbowl fan and viewer personally received and read the GEA/EASA emergency directive, fully cognizant of the 56-5B disastrous service record, 1549’s double compressor stall over Newark, and magically rejuvenated temperature sensor which just happens to be backed up to redundancy and would never shutdown the engine even if every temperature sensor failed.