Engine Maker in Southwest Accident to Issue New Inspection Guidance -- Update

By Doug Cameron 

The maker of the jet engine involved in a fatal accident on a Southwest Airlines Co. jet this week plans to issue new inspection guidance for carriers on Friday, a General Electric Co. spokesman said in a statement.

CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Safran SA, is expected to issue recommendations for users via a service bulletin it said was being prepared before Tuesday's accident when an engine exploded on a flight from New York to Dallas, killing one passenger.

CFM said the inspection advice would supersede previous guidance issued last year for maintaining fan blades on CFM56-7B engines, the GE spokesman said.

Southwest Airlines contracts maintenance of the engines on its 700-plus fleet of Boeing Co. 737s to GE, Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly said in a video statement late Thursday.

The airline has expedited checks on engines in its fleet in the wake of Tuesday's accident. It aims to have the checks completed within 30 days.

"CFM has about 40 people supporting the fan blade inspections under way at Southwest," said a GE spokesman.

The new service bulletin was being developed before the accident, said GE and a number of airlines involved in the work, with inspections determined on how heavily the engines have been used.

The GE spokesman said the issuance of the bulletin hadn't been accelerated because of the Southwest accident.

Southwest is inspecting all of the CFM56-7B engines on its jets, though it said the timing of non-routine examinations is usually dictated by the manufacturer.

"GE provides the guidelines for the maintenance, inspections and repairs over the life of the engines," said Mr. Kelly, adding that Southwest conducts its own periodic inspections at a higher frequency than recommended by CFM.

Write to Doug Cameron at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 20, 2018 14:56 ET (18:56 GMT)

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