The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has given permission for the remaining three Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) test flight aircraft to resume flying.
On August 21, FTA-2 experienced an uncommanded shutdown of its left Pratt & Whitney PW1200G geared turbofan. The flight test crew diverted to Portland International Airport in Oregon and after an engine swap, the pilots flew the aircraft back to the test base at Grant County Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, a week later, on August 28.
Mitsubishi reported that FTA-4, which was flying tests from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona, resumed flight testing on September 6 after inspection by Pratt & Whitney. FTAs 1, 2 and 3 required JCAB approval to resume flight testing, which was received on September 11, according to a Mitsubishi spokesperson. All were scheduled to resume flight on September 12.
Mitsubishi has investigated the shutdown, and the company spokesperson said that “current analysis tells us that the incident from August on FTA-2 is isolated and the rest of the MRJ flight test aircraft were inspected and cleared as they were not affected.”
The fly-by-wire MRJ was expected to complete flight testing by the end of 2018, with certification planned in 2019. First delivery to All Nippon Airways is scheduled for 2020.
September 14, 2017
