FAA Reportedly Concerned About Plane Engine Model Before Explosion Over Broomfield
(CBS4/CNN) -- New information reveals the Federal Aviation Administration had concerns about the plane engine that exploded during a United Airlines flight over Broomfield last weekend.
United Flight 328 suffered engine failure Saturday shortly after takeoff.
The FAA had a meeting, just days before the explosion, to talk about requiring more frequent inspections for those specific engines, according to CNN.
The united flight had just taken off from Denver International Airport when the right-side Pratt and Whitney PW4000 engine shredded.
Regulators were requiring fan blade wear and tear inspections every 6,500 cycles -- with one cycle being every time the engine is turned on. The source cited by CNN says the one that failed over Broomfield was quote "far short" of 6,500.
On Tuesday, the FAA directed air carriers to inspect all Pratt & Whitney engines similar to the one that dramatically failed on a United Airlines flight on Saturday.
The directive effectively grounds the Boeing 777-200 planes that use this specific PW4000 series engine, but the only US operator with this type of engine in its fleet, United Airlines, already said Sunday that it would immediately pull 24 planes from flying "out of an abundance of caution."
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
