A TAMWORTH aircraft engineer has been suspended for the duration of an investigation into alleged major maintenance oversights at Qantas’s local engineering facility.

The allegations centre on the DHC-8 – better known as Dash 8 – airliners used for all major QantasLink regional services including the regular Tamworth to Sydney and return flights.

The Leader was tipped off to the suspension earlier this week by a local source who was concerned about the

possible safety implications.

He said work on the fuel lines on a number of planes may not have been carried out correctly and, if this was the case, aircraft would have been at risk of crashing on takeoff.

“These planes carry 52 passengers and four crew – that’s 58 people who could possibly be in danger every time a plane takes off,” the informant said.

A Qantas spokesman confirmed yesterday QantasLink was investigating “an

incident” involving “a Dash 8” in Tamworth late last week.

The spokesman said the engineer involved had been suspended “pending the results of the investigation” and that this was “usual

practice”.

In response to emailed questions from The Leader the company acknowledged an error involving the fuel pipe re-assembly on at least one Dash 8 had been detected during maintenance checks.

The spokesman said four other aircraft were “potentially similarly affected”. These have since been inspected and cleared for service.

A Qantas spokesman had earlier said the incident was not a safety issue as the plane in question had not been scheduled to fly any passenger

services.

While the Qantas statement is technically correct it appears to fall short of acknowledging the full extent of the problems.

A Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spokesman told The Leader the plane at Tamworth could not be refuelled at all.

The fuel sensor line was not connected.

This is what actually drew the attention of QantasLink engineers to the problem.

The Leader was told the Tamworth plane – which had reportedly just undergone routine maintenance – was towed out of the hangar and onto the tarmac to be refuelled.

During the operation, which involves a stringent volume control procedure, our informant said fuel was flowing into the tank “uncontrolled”.

CASA, while not confirming this claim, said two other planes – inspected during overnight stopovers in Sydney and Brisbane after the alarm had been raised – were found to have loose fuel sensor lines.

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CASA declined to comment on whether or not the loose lines would – or could – have become dislodged by the level of vibration experienced during normal operation.

The Leader’s informant has alleged at least five planes worked on by the Tamworth engineer were rechecked over the weekend.

He said the consequences of the fuel sensor line becoming detached during operation could be catastrophic.

It could lead to a plane suffering total engine failure during take-off or normal flight by cutting off the fuel supply.

“The amount of fuel a plane carries is very important and it has to be regulated for many reasons including total weight of the aircraft,” our informant said.

“The engine is supplied fuel under pressure and gravity through the ejector pumps, however the fuel lines were not connected properly.

“Electric override pumps are fitted... (but) they are not automatic... if the pilot doesn’t realise what is going on it (the override pump) won’t be turned on.”

The fuel sensor line problem is believed to have arisen from

modifications being made to Dash 8s as a result of a CASA directive dating back to at least August 9, 2006.

QantasLink and other Dash 8 operators have until 2009 to bring their fleets into compliance.

The original CASA directive was intended to eliminate the risks of sparks in the fuel supply.

Last week’s problem at Tamworth apparently occurred after the fuel system had been reinstalled by the engineer.

It has been suggested the fuel lines may not have been secured correctly at the time the safety modification had been carried out.

It is understood this is one of the issues being addressed by the current Qantas and CASA investigations.

“One of the last things any engineer performs with any maintenance or modification is to check the work,” the informant said.

“The instruction manual for this operation states to check for leaks at connections/fittings that have been replaced, or disturbed.

“This is done under pressure for just this reason.”