U.S. Army Grounds Fleet of CH-47 Chinooks Because of Engine Fire Risk

About 400 heavy-lift helicopters were grounded ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ the Army says.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 12:40 PM ET

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Honeywell said O-rings not meeting design specifications had been installed in Honeywell T55 engines aboard CH-47 Chinooks. [Courtesy: U.S. Army/Master Sgt. Ryan C. Matson]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Army has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of approximately 400 CH-47 Chinook helicopters due to engine fires caused by fuel leaks.
The issue was traced to faulty O-rings, not meeting design specifications, installed in some Honeywell T55 engines during routine maintenance at an Army depot.
No deaths or injuries have occurred, and the grounding was implemented out of caution while corrective measures are being implemented with Honeywell to replace the suspect parts.

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The U.S. Army has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of Boeing (NYSE: BA) CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters “out of an abundance of caution” after discovering the installation of a faulty part has caused fuel leaks that led to engine fires.

The issue was caused by the installation of a part that did not meet design specifications in some Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) T55 Turboshaft engines during routine maintenance, the OEM said Tuesday evening.