Falcon 7X Fleet Remains Grounded

Pia Bergqvist

Wednesday, June 01, 2011 at 06:32 PM ET

Verified

Dassault Falcon 7x Dassault

Key Takeaways:

Dassault Aviation grounded its entire fleet of 112 Falcon 7X aircraft after one experienced a pitch trim issue during descent, though the crew landed safely.
As a safety measure, Dassault requested temporary suspension directives from EASA and the FAA for all 7X operations while an investigation into the cause was launched.
Initial investigations confirmed the aircraft's control laws operated normally, but the root cause of the failure remains unknown, leading EASA and the FAA to permit ferry flights.
This incident marks the first reported pitch trim failure for the Falcon 7X since its certification in 2007, an aircraft highlighted for its digital flight control system.

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Dassault Aviation has grounded its entire fleet of 112 Falcon 7Xs after one airplane experienced a pitch trim issue during a descent. The crew was able to control the airplane and landed successfully. However, as a safety precaution, Dassault requested directives from EASA and the FAA for a temporary suspension all 7X operations until the cause of the failure has been established. Dassault immediately dispatched a team of experts to investigate the issue. Dassault immediately dispatched a team of experts to investigate the issue.

Initial investigations did not find the root cause of the failure, but found that the control laws on the 7X operated normally. This caused both EASA and the FAA to permit ferry flight permits to be issued.