FAA proposes requiring Boeing 737 part replacements after 2018 Southwest fan blade death

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was proposing three directives to mandate engine housing inspections and component replacements on Boeing 737NG airplanes after a 2018 Southwest Airlines fatal fan blade incident.

The directives cover 1,979 U.S.-registered and 6,666 737 airplanes worldwide and would require operators to inspect and replace certain components on the engine cowling by July 2028.

Boeing said it supported the FAA’s proposal to make mandatory a set of service bulletins it made “to improve the design of the 737NG. … Airlines can continue safely operating the fleet with interim actions until permanent modifications can be made.”

The 737NG was the newest version of the best-selling jet before the 737 MAX was introduced.

A passenger was killed on a Southwest Airlines plane in April 2018 after an engine failure caused by a broken fan blade, the first accident fatality on a U.S. passenger airline since February 2009.

The National Transportation Safety Board had called on Boeing to redesign the fan cowl structure after the incident.

The FAA said on Tuesday Boeing developed modifications to the inlet cowl, fan cowl, and exhaust nozzle that must be installed by July 2028.

The accident occurred 20 minutes into the flight when a fan blade fractured as a result of a fatigue crack on a Boeing 737-700 jet powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B engines after taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The plane, bound for Dallas, diverted to Philadelphia International Airport. Eight of the 144 passengers suffered minor injuries.

The NTSB had been investigating a 2016 engine failure on another Southwest 737-700 at the time of the fatal incident.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)