Southwest Sought More Time To Inspect Engines, Like One That Caused Fatality
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Southwest Airlines sought more time to inspect fan blades like the one that snapped off during one of its flights and caused an engine breakup that left a passenger dead.
The airline opposed a recommendation by the engine manufacturer to require ultrasonic inspections of certain fan blades within 12 months, saying it needed more time to conduct the inspections.
Southwest made the comments last year after U.S. regulators proposed making the inspections mandatory. The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet required airlines to conduct the extra inspections but said late Wednesday that it would do so in the next two weeks.
The recommendation for more inspections followed an engine blowup on a 2016 Southwest flight.
On Tuesday, the engine on another Southwest jet exploded over Pennsylvania. Federal investigators say engine debris hit the plane, shattering a window. 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan was sitting near the window and was pulled partially through. She later died.
An emotional Andrew Needum, a Texas firefighter on the flight, told reporters Thursday that he was traveling with his wife, two young children and parents when they heard a loud pop Tuesday. He says his wife gave him the OK to leave his family and move toward the rear of the plane to aid Riordan.
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