FAA examines smoke risks on Boeing 737s after bird strike

(Bloomberg) — U.S. aviation regulators are studying whether pilots of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max should take new precautions after two incidents that sent plumes of smoke from the planes after large birds struck engines.

A small group of FAA investigators has made internal recommendations on how to fix the problem, including possibly requiring pilots to turn off one or both air conditioning units during takeoff to regulate airflow in the cockpit. The recommendations, seen by Bloomberg News, also urge the FAA to review all new and unique features of the 737 Max to ensure they are fully communicated in pilot operating manuals.

An FAA representative said Thursday that the agency will convene a corrective action review committee “in the coming weeks,” whose work will include a “thorough evaluation of safety recommendations within the FAA.” Separately Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the bird strikes but did not say whether it would conduct its own investigation.

The crash involved a Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by Southwest Airlines Co. and a LEAP-1B engine built by CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Safran SA. The FAA said it was working with Boeing, CFM and European aviation safety regulators to resolve the engine issues.

The FAA said in a statement that the review board, which identifies and evaluates safety issues, develops corrective actions and can order airlines or manufacturers to make changes, will “examine the data and chart a path forward.” “The FAA has determined that this is not an imminent flight safety issue.”

After the incident, Southwest Airlines said it had informed pilots of the impact of the bird strike and reiterated safety procedures for such incidents. The airline said in a statement on Thursday that it “continues to address this issue through its robust safety management system while working with manufacturers and safety regulators to find a permanent solution”.

An internal FAA panel said it was “very concerning” that the system linked to the smoke incident did not appear in pilot training or operating materials, linking it to two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. control systems were compared.

The incidents involved a Southwest Airlines flight from Havana to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 5, 2023, in which at least one turkey vulture was sucked into the engine. The second incident occurred on December 20 when a female bald eagle struck the engine of a flight from New Orleans to Tampa. Both incidents caused severe damage to the fan blades, according to CFM demonstrations seen by Bloomberg News.

In both cases, damage to the fan blades activated a load-shedding device in the LEAP-1B engine, which is designed to reduce unbalanced dynamic loads in the engine structure, followed by shutdown. The engine oil pans were also damaged in both incidents, causing oil to hit the hot engine compressor, causing smoke to enter the cockpit from the left engine and into the cabin from the right engine, according to a memo sent. Southwest Airlines offered the service to its pilots in February.

“These engine failures occurred during critical phases of flight and were further aggravated by smoke directly generated by severe engine damage entering the flight deck or cabin through the air conditioning system,” the announcement said, along with American Airlines Group’s statement to its pilots. A similar note sent out also included information from Boeing.

“Load reduction devices have been widely used throughout the industry for more than 20 years and operate as designed,” a CFM spokesperson said in a statement. “We are working with the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency and Boeing to determine Are there lessons to be learned from recent events?”

A Boeing spokesman said the planemaker was cooperating with authorities who were investigating the incidents. “We will continue to follow regulatory procedures and properly resolve potential issues to ensure the continued safety of the global fleet,” they said.

—With help from Julie Johnson.

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