Army grounds its Chinooks
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – The Oregon National Guard is obeying a directive from the U.S. Army to ground its entire CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet after there have been a number of recent engine fires. No deaths or injuries have been associated with those fires.
That means the Chinooks stationed in Pendleton are grounded. However, they are being tested for fuel leaks, which the Army believes to be the root cause of the fires. Oregon National Guard Lt. Col. Stephen Bomar confirmed the grounding.
“However, they are still performing local maintenance and are conducting leak checks on all the flyable aircraft at this time,” the director of public affairs for the Oregon Military Department wrote, explaining why a Chinook was hovering at the air armory in Pendleton.
The Army Times reported that it was told by the engine manufacturer, Honeywell International, that the leaks are due to faulty aftermarket O-rings that weren’t produced by the company. The grounding was originally reported in the Wall Street Journal, where it was stated that at least 70 of the fleet of about 400 Chinooks have the faulty part. The Army has not confirmed that report.
Photo via WikiMedia Commons
