FAA and European aviation authorities order emergency inspections after Southwest accident

The Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency on Friday ordered emergency inspections of jet engines like the one that ruptured during a recent Southwest Airlines flight, leaving one passenger dead.

The agencies have given just 20 days for almost 700 CFM56-7B engines, made by CFM International, to be examined.

‘Fan blade failure due to cracking, if not addressed, could result in an engine in-flight shutdown (IFSD), uncontained release of debris, damage to the engine, damage to the airplane and possible airplane decompression,’ the US regulatory authority said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency on Friday ordered emergency inspections of jet engines like the one that ruptured during a recent Southwest Airlines flight (National Transportation Safety Board investigators examine damage to the plane)

This harrowing image taken before the plane made its emergency landing shows the state of the exploded engine  on Tuesday

This harrowing image taken before the plane made its emergency landing shows the state of the exploded engine  on Tuesday

The move comes after the engine on Southwest Airlines flight 1380 exploded in midair on Tuesday. The blast sent a piece of shrapnel flying, smashing through a window and causing passenger Jennifer Riordan to be partially sucked through the hole.

The 43-year-old mother-of-two later died in hospital.

There have also been rising concerns around the engines since a similar failure in 2016 of the same type of engine. 

In line with recommendations made earlier by engine maker CFM, the FAA ordered that all CFM56-7B engines that have performed 30,000 or more total accumulated flight cycles be inspected within 20 days.

That affects about 352 engines in the United States, or 681 worldwide.

This was the row of seats where the window was shattered. Jennifer Riordan was sitting in the window and was partially sucked out before passengers were able to drag her back in

This was the row of seats where the window was shattered. Jennifer Riordan was sitting in the window and was partially sucked out before passengers were able to drag her back in

Passenger Marty Martinez shared photographs and videos of himself on Facebook as the plane made its descent. He and other passengers are shown terrified as they hold their oxygen masks to their faces. He later said there was 'blood everywhere' as a result of the woman's injuries 

Passenger Marty Martinez shared photographs and videos of himself on Facebook as the plane made its descent. He and other passengers are shown terrified as they hold their oxygen masks to their faces. He later said there was ‘blood everywhere’ as a result of the woman’s injuries 

‘The unsafe condition,’ the FAA said in the order, ‘is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same design.’

The inspections ordered are a sharp step-up from actions by both the European and U.S. regulators after a Southwest flight in August 2016 made a safe emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida, after a fan blade separated from the same type of engine and debris ripped a hole above the left wing. 

The European agency had given airlines nine months to check engines, while U.S. regulators still were considering what to do.

Ultrasonic inspections on fan blades that have been used in more than 30,000 cycles, or in service for about 20 years, will be required in the next 20 days, the agencies said on Friday. A cycle includes one take-off and landing.

Jennifer Riordan, a mother-of-two from Albuquerque, died. Southwest Airlines would not reveal on Friday if it had offered her family anything in the form of compensation 

Jennifer Riordan, a mother-of-two from Albuquerque, died. Southwest Airlines would not reveal on Friday if it had offered her family anything in the form of compensation 

That order will affect about 680 engines globally, including about 350 in the United States, the FAA said. The engine that blew apart on Tuesday’s Southwest flight would have been affected, since the company said it had 40,000 cycles.

The coordinated 20-day measure partially resolves a gap in previous responses to the 2016 accident by the world’s two largest and most influential aviation regulators, a person familiar with the discussions said and published documents show.

The FAA in August 2017 drafted an order giving airline up to 18 months to carry out checks, but it had not finalized the measure by the time of Tuesday’s fatal second accident.

The EASA had rejected a request by one airline to double the time allowed for checks to 18 months, matching the FAA’s roll-out, saying data did not justify that.

The divergence marked a rare difference of approach between the two agencies, especially on one of the world’s most-used aviation products. CFM, which is jointly owned by General Electric Co and France’s Safran, produces the CFM56 engine in factories based both in the United States and in Europe.

‘It happens that there are disagreements about the right way to go in some cases, and this was one of them,’ the person familiar with the discussions said.

On Tuesday, however, when news broke that a second failure had taken place involving the same model engine, aircraft and airline – this time killing a passenger who was partially pulled through a gaping hole next to her seat – the two agencies agreed to act quickly, the person said.

Riordan's window was smashed by shrapnel from the exploding engine several rows in front of her

Riordan’s window was smashed by shrapnel from the exploding engine several rows in front of her

An FAA spokesman said the agency disputed that it had not agreed with European regulators on the response to the engine issue. An EASA spokesman declined to comment.

On Wednesday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt, the chief investigator of U.S. aviation accidents, said he could not yet say if the incident pointed to a fleet-wide issue. The NTSB declined to comment on Friday.

The FAA and NTSB have different roles. Investigators study the probable cause of single accidents and recommend possible changes to safety rules, while regulators have to assess whether safety risks could appear.

Several major airline officials said the order will primarily impact airlines with higher utilization of aircraft covering shorter routes like Southwest.

The airline’s CEO Gary Kelly sent a letter to the 142 passengers who survived, apologizing for the ‘circumstances’ which surrounded the flight and offering their help reuniting them with luggage.

No blame has been assigned to the airline for the engine explosion which sent a piece of shrapnel flying through the window next to Riordan.

Investigators are still probing what caused the explosion and the plane had been tested for safety just three days before the catastrophe. 

In its letter, Southwest Airlines pointed to the ongoing National Transport Safety Board investigation into the incident but said its priority was assisting the traumatized survivors. 

Southwest Airlines is giving passengers on board the disastrous flight $5,000 each and a $1,000 travel voucher. 



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