16 June 2008
Update (26 June 2008): Eclipse says that a software fix which it has developed will mean that this incident will not recur. It is awaiting FAA clearance
<hr>
Late last week all Eclipse 500s became subject to an AD (Airworthiness Directive) following an NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) report into an incident in early June.
In that incident, an aircraft on approach into Chicago’s Midway airport encountered windshear. The pilots immediately applied full throttle – so full, in fact, that they used “enough force against the forward stops to exceed the design throttle position signal maximum range. However, the associated fault mode held the engine thrust settings at the last known throttle position, which was maximum.”
Having referred to the operating manual, the crew shut down one engine, at which point the other engine throttled back to idle and remained there, despite crew inputs. Happily, the aircraft landed without any injury to crew or the two passengers.
The AD that arose from the incident requires, in brief, an addition to the manual to cover similar situations and a check, by a pilot, that the throttles are operating normally.
Eclipse reports that with a day or so, the whole fleet had complied with the requirements, and were back flying.
<hr>
• Eclipse has announced in the last month that it is to go ahead with its ConceptJet – rebranded the Eclipse 400. At the same time, it’s rethinking its pricing, with a new Eclipse 500 now costing $2.15m
