The Federal Aviation Administration has adopted a new airworthiness directive covering all Rolls-Royce Deutschland RB211-Trent 875-17, 877-17, 884-17, 884B-17, 892-17, 892B-17 and 895-17 engines after reports of low oil pressure events tied to a failure mode in the oil pump input coupling shear neck. The rule follows an emergency directive the agency issued on September 5, 2026, which mirrored an emergency directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a day earlier.
Investigators traced the problem to non-conforming low life oil pumps that can fail prematurely due to cracking in the internal rotor. Left unaddressed, the condition could cause a dual in-flight shutdown on aircraft equipped with two affected engines, reducing the crew's ability to control the airplane. The directive requires operators to de-pair engines on twin-engine aircraft so that no more than one affected oil pump remains installed on a given airplane.
The new rule became effective September 21, 2026, and affects 154 engines installed on aircraft registered in the United States. The FAA estimates a records check will cost operators about $85 per engine, while a repair or replacement, if required, could run as high as $238,430 per engine in labor and parts. The agency is accepting public comments on the final rule through November 2, 2026, and may amend the directive based on the input it receives. The FAA classified the action as an interim step and said it may pursue additional rulemaking once a permanent fix is identified.
Source: Federal Register - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/18/2026-19171/airworthiness-directives-rolls-royce-deutschland-ltd-and-co-kg-engines