NTSB urges Boeing to redesign thousands of 737 engines after 2018 explosion
Nov 20, 2019, 12:06 PM
(Getty images)
(Getty images)
Safety regulators want Boeing to redesign an engine part on thousands of planes. The National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation could affect all 737 New Generation jets.
One of the plane’s engines exploded mid-air during a flight last year, causing debris to blow out a window, killing one passenger. The incident involved a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 New Generation jet, and thousands of those jet types are in service across the U.S. and world.
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The NTSB says a stronger engine casing would better contain parts that come loose in a failure.
“That translates to a better chance that damage to the aircraft will be minimized during a [broken fan blade] event, improving the safety of the flying public,” NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt told CBS News.
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This redesign recommendation would not impact the 737 Max as it has a different engine design, which is grounded following two crashes. The Lion Air crash out of Indonesia resulted in the death of 189 people and the Ethiopian Airlines crash led to 157 deaths. It’s believed to be linked to an automated system that pushed the nose of the plane downwards.
The FAA says it will review the safety board’s recommendations, while Boeing says its introducing improvements to the engine part that failed.
