Southwest Airlines Flight 1380: Engine Problem Linked To Prior Accident, Mass Inspections Ordered

After investigators stated that a broken fan blade triggered the engine explosion on Southwest Airlines flight 1380 (the flight during which a female passenger died after she was nearly sucked from the cabin), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a round of inspections to be carried out on jet engines of a similar build, which could have serious consequences for the worldwide airline industry.

Related coverage: http://thegoldwater.com/news/23446-Hero-of-Southwest-Airlines-Flight-1830-Who-Saved-148-Lives-Is-a-Navy-Veteran-Fighter-Pilot

According to the FAA's inspection order (which is technically called an air-worthiness directive), an ultrasonic inspection within the next six months of fan blades on CFM56-7B engines that have accrued a certain number of take-offs would be required. If adopted by other agencies as well, this directive will normally ground several planes as that type of engine is used on 8,000 Boeing 737 planes worldwide.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FAA</a> Statement: Airworthiness Directive (AD) - Required Inspections of Certain CFM56-7B Engines. <a href="https://t.co/9gmkLqLdWP">pic.twitter.com/9gmkLqLdWP</a></p>&mdash; The FAA (@FAANews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/986760204586012672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Many reporters were quick to point out to the FAA that a similar incident had taken place in 2016 already (Southwest Airlines Flight 3472 from New Orleans to Orlando) and that the authority should have ordered a similar inspection at that time.

Related coverage: http://thegoldwater.com/news/23355-Latest-Video-Southwest-Flight-1380

Back then, the Southwest Airlines flight 3472 made a safe emergency landing when a fan blade had also been separated from a similar engine.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;There is a God.&quot; Southwest Airlines pilot hailed for her composure during deadly emergency landing <a href="https://t.co/rE6jTTfSIo">https://t.co/rE6jTTfSIo</a></p>&mdash; TIME (@TIME) <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME/status/986827993816412160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2018</a></blockquote>

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The engines were manufactured by the French-US joint venture CFM International, a company that claims to be the "world's leading supplier of jet engines for single-aisle aircraft"

Source:

https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/986760204586012672