Engine fires ground JBLM’s Boeing-manufactured Chinook helicopters
Sep 1, 2022, 2:53 PM
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The U.S. Army grounded its entire fleet of H-47 Chinook helicopters after “a small number” of the aircraft’s engines caught fire, according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
Joint Base Fort Lewis-McChord is home to 14 such helicopters, all of which have been grounded as of Wednesday.
The DOD reports that no deaths or injuries occurred as a result of the fire, but the aircraft was grounded “out of an abundance of caution” as “corrective actions” were completed.
Boeing has manufactured the Chinook helicopter since the 1960s. Honeywell International Inc. builds the engines responsible for the malfunction. A spokesperson for the company told the Wall Street Journal that the company is working to supply the U.S. Army with necessary replacement parts.
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“The safety of our Soldiers is the Army’s top priority, and we will ensure our aircraft remain safe and airworthy,” a spokesperson for the JBLM wrote to MyNorthwest.
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