Preliminary findings point to metal fatigue on stricken Southwest Airlines flight
The engine failure that led to the death of a passenger on board Southwest Airlines flight 1380 is thought to have been caused by metal fatigue.
On April 17, 2018 Southwest flight 1380 from New York La Guardia to Dallas Love Field was diverted to Philadelphia approximately 20 minutes after take-off when the cockpit was alerted to a serious anomaly in the aircraft’s number one engine.
According to Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), preliminary investigations have determined that a fan blade from the CFM56-7B engine ‘separated at the point where it would come into the hub’, citing evidence of metal fatigue where the blade separated. He added that it will take between 12 to 15 months to conduct a thorough investigation.
Shrapnel from the damaged engine penetrated the 737-700's aircraft cabin, leading to the death of one passenger and injuries to seven others.
Southwest Airlines is now ‘accelerating its existing engine inspection program relating to the CFM56 engine family’, which is expected to be completed over the next 30 days and will involve ultrasonic inspections of fan blades. Technicians from engine manufacturer CFM International are assisting with this effort.
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