Latest news with #safetyrecommendation
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
NTSB issues urgent warning about engines on some Boeing and Airbus planes
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued an ' urgent safety recommendation ' regarding engines used in some Airbus and Boeing passenger jets. The recommendations concern the CFM International LEAP-1B engines used in Airbus A32neo and Boeing 737 Max narrow-body jets. In a statement on Wednesday, the transit regulator warned that the engine's load reduction device, a safety feature designed to reduce vibrations transmitted from a damaged engine to the main airframe, can impact the engine's oil system. 'Such a condition can allow smoke from hot oil to enter the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin,' the NTSB warned. 'We are aligned with the NTSB's recommendations and the work is already underway, in close partnership with our airframers, to enhance the capability of this important system,' a CFM spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. The board's recommendation stemmed from a December 2023 incident, in which a Southwest flight on a Boeing 737-8 jet leaving New Orleans filled with smoke after its left engine ingested a bird. 'The flight deck filled with what the crew described as 'acrid white smoke' so thick that the captain had difficulty seeing the instrument panel,' the safety board wrote. 'The crew donned masks, were able to clear the smoke, and landed the airplane back in New Orleans. None of the crew or passengers were injured.' The Wednesday alert cited a similar incident featuring a Southwest flight departing Havana, Cuba, earlier that year. The safety board has requested that the Federal Aviation Administration ensure operators inform flight crews about jets equipped with the affected engines. Boeing has revised its flight manuals to prepare pilots to prevent smoke from entering the cockpit or cabin when the load reduction device is activated. The safety board has also asked flight regulators in Europe and China to determine if other variants of the CFM LEAP engine are susceptible to the same issues, and has asked the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency to incorporate software modifications developed by CFM and Boeing. One of the impacted jets is the Boeing 737 Max, the same plane that crashed twice between 2018 and 2019, killing 346 and causing a temporary grounding of the model until a flight sensor system could be redesigned. In May, the Justice Department reached a deal with the aerospace giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading regulators about the Max. The recommendations come at a time of heightened concern regarding the safety of the US air transit system, after a series of high-profile aviation disasters this year, including a mid-air collision above a Washington, D.C.-area airport, and a plane crash in Philadelphia, as well as air traffic control issues around major hubs like Newark.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NTSB issues urgent safety bulletin about engines found in some Boeing 737 Max jets
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an urgent safety recommendation Wednesday to modify jet engines on Boeing's 737 Max airplanes to prevent smoke from entering the cockpit or cabin in certain scenarios. The warning comes after two incidents involving Southwest Airlines planes equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines that experienced bird strikes in 2023. The NTSB said that these CFM engines have a safety feature, called a load reduction device, that can inadvertently damage the oil system of the engines once it activates after a bird strike. The damage can result in smoke forming from hot oil released into the engine and entering the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin. The NTSB investigated an incident in December 2023 involving a Southwest Airlines plane that struck a bird while taking off from New Orleans. The plane landed quickly after "acrid white smoke" filled the cockpit and was so thick that the captain said it was hard to see the instrument panel. Southwest Adds 'Powerful' Cockpit Alert System To Detect Runway Danger Another incident nine months earlier involving similar engine damage happened on another Southwest flight from Havana, Cuba, after birds were ingested into an engine shortly after takeoff, resulting in smoke filling the cabin. Read On The Fox Business App In both cases, the flights landed safely, and no one was injured. The NTSB also recommended evaluating the potential for the same issue with CFM's LEAP-1A and LEAP-1C engines, which are used on some Airbus A320neo planes and C919 jets made by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. CFM is owned by GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. Boeing Shares Slide After Air India Crash The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing both said they agreed with the NTSB recommendations and have already warned airlines and pilots about the problem. "We advised operators to evaluate their procedures and crew training to ensure they address this potential issue," the FAA said. "When the engine manufacturer develops a permanent mitigation, we will require operators to implement it within an appropriate timeframe." Boeing said that CFM and Boeing "have been working on a software design update." Reuters contributed to this article source: NTSB issues urgent safety bulletin about engines found in some Boeing 737 Max jets
Arab News
19-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
US safety board wants warnings on Boeing 737 MAX engines over smoke entering cockpit
WASHINGTON: The National Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent safety recommendation Wednesday to address the possibility of smoke entering the cockpit or cabin of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines. The NTSB also recommended evaluating the potential for the same issue with LEAP-1A and LEAP-1C engines, which are used on some Airbus A320neo variants and COMAC's Chinese-made C919 jets. The recommendation comes after two incidents involving Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jets that experienced bird strikes in 2023. The NTSB wants the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that operators inform flight crews of airplanes equipped with the affected engines. Southwest said it is reviewing the recommendations and that it has mitigation procedures currently in place. Southwest notified its flight crews about the effects of certain bird strikes following two events that occurred in 2023, reiterating the importance of following established safety procedures. CFM, the world's largest engine maker by units sold, is co-owned by GE Aerospace and Safran. The NTSB said it was 'critical to ensure that pilots who fly airplanes equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines are fully aware of the potential for smoke in the cockpit if the load reduction device is activated during a critical phase of flight (takeoff or landing).' The FAA and Boeing both said they agreed with the NTSB recommendations, and the planemaker alerted operators that smoke could enter the flight deck following the activation of the Load Reduction Device (LRD) in the engines, as a result of a bird strike. 'We advised operators to evaluate their procedures and crew training to ensure they address this potential issue,' the FAA said. 'When the engine manufacturer develops a permanent mitigation, we will require operators to implement it within an appropriate timeframe.' Boeing said that CFM and Boeing 'have been working on a software design update.' The NTSB wants the update to be required on all 737 MAX planes once completed. GE, Airbus and COMAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment The NTSB asked the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the Civil Aviation Administration of China to determine if other variants of the CFM LEAP engine are also susceptible to smoke in the cabin or cockpit when an LRD activates. EASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In November, the FAA said it would not require immediate action after convening a review board to consider concerns about Boeing 737 MAX engines after two bird strike incidents involving the CFM LEAP-1B. The FAA had been considering recommendations for new takeoff procedures to close the airflow to one or both engines to address the potential impact of a bird strike and prevent smoke from entering the cockpit. In 2024, the NTSB opened an investigation into the Southwest left engine bird strike and subsequent smoke in cockpit event that occurred near New Orleans in December 2023. The other incident occurred in a Southwest March 2023 flight that had departed Havana and in which a bird strike led to smoke filling the passenger cabin. In February 2024, Boeing published a bulletin to inform flight crews of potential flight deck and cabin effects associated with severe engine damage.
