FAA Orders Frequent Inspections of Southwest Flight 1380 Engine Type, Citing ‘risk to Flying Public'

The Federal Aviation Administration is calling for more frequent, ongoing inspections of tens of thousands of engine fan blades in airline fleets across the U.S. to check for “unsafe conditions” in the wake of the fatal April 17 Southwest accident.The agency cited the “risk to the flying public” in calling for more frequent inspections on 3,716 CFM56-7B engines installed on U.S. airplanes. Each of the engines has 24 fan blades.The agency released an updated airworthiness directive, scheduled to be published Wednesday, that supplements an emergency order put out days after the accident, when a fan blade broke off a Southwest engine aircraft, sending debris into the plane and causing a window to blow out. A passenger sitting to the window later died from her injuries.  Continue reading...