T.E.A.L. Electras Back In Service

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30504, 28 July 1964, Page 18

T.E.A.L. Electras Back In Service

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 27.

Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd.’s three Electra aircraft have all been cleared and were back to schedule tonight.

All were grounded during the week-end while radiographic examinations were made

for cracks in their wings. The last of the company’s Electras, which was X-rayed at Sydney jet base late on Sunday, was passed as safe. It left Sydney at 3.40 a.m. today for Wellington. It arrived there at 7.30 a.m. and took off again for Sydney an hour later. The aircraft arrived in Auckland from Sydney at 5.56 p.m. today. It took off for Nandi on its normal flight at 8.30 p.m.

Electra aircraft in both New Zealand and Australia were grounded early on Saturday after a hairline crack was found in the upper wing section Of a trans-Australian Airlines Electra.

A cable message from Melbourne says T.A.A. and An-sett-A.N.A. Electra airliners will go back into service tonight. Detailed laboratory examinations and other tests have cleared the airliners of suspected wing cracks.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation (Mr D. C. Anderson) announced the decision after a conference between technical experts of the Australian airlines and two Lockheed Aircraft engineers.

The Lockheed experts, Mr D. Rippey, and Mr L. Cowgill, flew into Melbourne from the United States early today to advise the department and the airlines on the problem. A piece of wing area was cut out of the first T.A.A. Electra and microscopically examined in the aeronautical research laboratories at Fishermen’s Bend. Mr Anderson said further tests showed that the cracks indicated by earlier probes were actually microscopic corrosion specks in the metal.

The tests showed conclusively that no cracks existed and that the corrosion specks could not affect the airworthiness of the aircraft. They periodically occurred in any aircraft type and were removed by regular maintenance.

The only Electra which will not immediately return to service is the T.A.A. Electra, from which the test specimen was cut for final laboratory examination. All four Qantas Electras went back into service today after checks revealed no faults.