FAA Urges Best Practices For Turbocharger Exhaust

As part of its charter to help minimize GA accidents, the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC; see the article beginning on page 4 for background) earlier this year published a Best Practices Guide designed to ensure airplanes equipped with turbocharged reciprocating engines fitted with turbocharger to tailpipe V-band coupling/clamps, remain in their original type design configuration. It will also help to effectively manage the risk associated with the use of V-band coupling/clamps in this application.

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 20, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

V-band clamps on turbocharged aircraft exhaust systems are a significant safety concern, implicated in numerous accidents and in-flight fires due to failures from lengthy service, improper installation, fatigue, and corrosion.
The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) published a "Best Practices Guide" to help operators and maintainers manage the risks associated with V-band coupling/clamps in this application.
The Guide includes detailed installation advisories, inspection methods, and specific life-limit recommendations for different clamp types (e.g., spot-welded to 500 hours, riveted/single-piece to 2000 hours).
It emphasizes strict rules for inspection, replacement of unairworthy clamps, and prohibits swapping or re-using clamps between different engines or aircraft.

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The V-band clamps used to assemble exhaust systems on turbocharged piston-powered airplanes have long been a source of concern to operators, maintainers and regulators alike. Clamp failures resulting from lengthy service and improper installation can allow extremely hot and high-pressure exhaust gases to be directed onto other engine-compartment components and risk an in-flight fire.

The clamps have been implicated in numerous accidents dating from the 1970s, many of which involved fatalities. The problem potentially affects some 18,000 turbocharged aircraft in the U.S. fleet from various manufacturers, including some still in production, as well as normally aspirated aircraft modified with a turbocharger installation under a supplemental type certificate (STC).