The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered airlines to inspect the fan blades of some engines of the same type that exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this week. One passenger was killed after she was partially sucked through a window that blew open in the blast when a fan blade on one of the Boeing 737’s engines broke loose when the plane was above 30,000 feet.
It was the first passenger death on a U.S. airline since 2009 and the first ever passenger fatality due to an accident or incident in Southwest’s history.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the “emergency” order was based on a service bulletin, also issued Friday from the engine’s manufacturer, CFM International, calling for more stringent testing of the CFM56-7B engine, and an investigation into the deadly engine failure on Southwest Flight 1380, the airline regulator said.
Under the FAA’s order some engines will have to be inspected within 20 days.
The engine type is one of the most commonly used around the world. Friday’s order will affect some 352 engines in the U.S. and 681 worldwide.
CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines, said engine inspectors can examine the engine while it is still on the wing using an ultrasonic probe. Tiny cracks in the engine’s fan blades may not be visible to the naked eye. That test takes about four hours per engine, CFM said.
CFM also recommended that engines with about 20,000 cycles, which it estimates applies to 2,500 engines.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that requires operators to inspect fan blades on certain CFM56-7B engines within 20 days. The directive is based on a CFM International Service Bulletin issued today and on information gathered from the investigation of Tuesday’s Southwest Airlines engine failure. The inspection requirement applies to CFM56-7B engines. Specifically, engines with more than 30,000 total cycles from new must undergo inspections within 20 days. The EAD becomes effective upon publication. The engine manufacturer estimates today’s corrective action affects 352 engines in the U.S. and 681 engines worldwide.
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