November 16,
2008: Jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has agreed to pay $52 million
in fines and costs for supplying the U.S. Air Force with defective replacement
turbine blades used in jet engines. One F-16 was lost due to this, although the
pilot was able to bail out safely. The blades were slightly off size, and were
shipped between 1994 and 2003 (when the F-16 crashed and the defective blades
were discovered).
Pratt &
Whitney designed the blades, and a subcontractor (which paid $2 million of the
fine) manufactured them. The subcontractor cast the blades to the Pratt &
Whitney spec. Pratt & Whitney's payments included $5 million for
re-inspecting all the blades the air force had in inventory, to see which could
still be used. The defect was very minor, which is why so many years went by
before it was discovered. Thus some of the blades were fit to be used after the
re-inspection.
High tech
means high standards and tight tolerances during manufacture. Tiny defects or errors in design can cause equipment to
wear out faster or, in this case, fail. This happens in electronics frequently,
less so in cases where metal, plastic or composite components are concerned.
