What is the purpose of performing a hot section inspection with a borescope?

• A. Inspect combustor and turbine hot sections for cracks, deposits, erosion, and blade damage; identify issues before failure.
• B. Inspect oil level in gearbox.
• C. Inspect fuel filter only.
• D. Calibrate sensors.

Answer: (A)

A hot section borescope inspection is used to visually check the internal condition of the combustor and turbine hot-path components, where temperatures are extreme and damage accumulates. It looks for cracks, deposits, erosion, and blade damage that aren’t visible from the outside. Finding these issues early allows maintenance to be planned before a failure occurs, helping prevent unplanned outages and protect engine reliability.

The other options aren’t what this inspection targets: inspecting oil level in the gearbox, inspecting a fuel filter, or calibrating sensors are separate maintenance tasks handled with different tools and procedures.