The US Army has temporarily grounded its fleet of about 400 Chinook helicopters due to a risk of engine fires, a spokeswoman says.
Planemaker Boeing makes the heavy-lift Chinook helicopters that support disaster relief operations and medical evacuation. The Chinook is used by international defence forces including those of Italy, South Korea and Canada.
"The Army has identified the root cause of fuel leaks that caused a small number of engine fires among an isolated number of H-47 helicopters, and is implementing corrective measures to resolve this issue," US Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said.
While no deaths or injuries occurred, the grounding was undertaken "out of an abundance of caution" until those corrective actions were complete, Smith added.
The grounding, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was targeted at certain models with engines manufactured by Honeywell International, according to the report.
Boeing declined to comment and referred questions to the US Army. Honeywell did not respond to requests for comment.
-Reuters
