The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive for the Eclipse 500 last month that, as of March 21, would limit the airplane’s maximum operating altitude to 30,000 feet. This supersedes an existing AD, issued in November 2008, that limited the very light jet to 37,000 feet or below in response to carbon build-up in the Eclipse’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F-A engines that could cause engine surges and thus might “result in a necessary reduction in thrust.” The change was prompted by several incidents of engine surge the FAA believes were the result of hard carbon buildup on the static vanes.
According to the FAA, engine surges may call for a reduction in thrust and “decreased power for the affected engine and, in some cases, may result in flight and landing under single-engine conditions.” The FAA also notes it is possible this could affect both engines at the same time, requiring dual engine shutdown.
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