How borescope findings move a CFM56's price
Two engines with the same hours, cycles and LLP status can be worth very different amounts after a borescope. The findings decide whether the next shop visit is years away, months away or now.
JTech Turbines inspection team · Published November 1, 2026 · Updated November 1, 2026
Findings that cost the most
- HPT blade cracks or missing material beyond limits. The engine comes off wing; the price falls by the shop visit it now needs.
- Combustor burn-through or liner cracks beyond limits. Same result; a hot section shop visit.
- TBC spallation within limits but widespread. The engine stays on wing, but a repetitive inspection and a shortened horizon change the next lessee's view of it.
- Compressor FOD within limits. Usually a repair or blend; a small price adjustment and a records entry.
- Nothing beyond limits, full video, measurement tips used. The engine's value is its LLP status and EGT margin, and the buyer pays for it.
How the numbers connect
A finding sets the next maintenance event; the event has a cost and a date; the cost and date move the value. A pre-purchase report that maps each finding to the AMM limit and to a likely workscope is what the two sides negotiate on. A report that says "monitor" without a measurement leaves money on the table for whoever is less informed.
Why the video matters
A finding with a measured size, a port reference and video can be checked by the other party's inspector. A finding described in words cannot. Transactions move faster when the evidence is shared.
FAQ
- Does a repetitive inspection reduce the price?
- It reduces the certainty of the on-wing horizon, which buyers price in; the amount depends on the finding and the lease.
- Can a blend repair be done on wing?
- Some compressor blade damage can be blended on wing within AMM limits; the repair is recorded and the blended blade re-inspected.
- Who decides whether a finding is beyond limits?
- The inspector, against the AMM; the manufacturer, when a concession is sought.
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JTech Turbines performs borescope, GVI and QEC inspections on site, with reports drafted in InspectView and signed by the inspector. Email jruiz@jtechturbines.com and joel@jtechturbines.com, call +1 (786) 340-4404, or request an inspection at /services#request.