NTSB urges quick fix on Boeing 737 Max plane engines to prevent smoke from filling cabin [View all]
Source: Scripps News/AP
Posted 10:56 AM, Jun 19, 2025
Safety experts recommended Wednesday that the engines on Boeing's troubled 737 Max airplanes be modified quickly to prevent smoke from filling the cockpit or cabin after a safety feature is activated following a bird strike.
The problem detailed by the National Transportation Safety Board emerged after two bird strikes involving Southwest Airlines planes in 2023 — one in Havana, Cuba, and another in New Orleans. The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing already warned airlines and pilots about the problem and the engine maker has been working on a fix.
The NTSB said that the engines CFM International makes for the Boeing plane can inadvertently release oil into the hot engine when the safety feature, called a load reduction device, is activated after a bird strike or similar engine issue. The resulting smoke feeds directly into either the cockpit or passenger cabin, depending on which engine was struck.
Similar engine models with the same safety feature are also used on Airbus A320neo planes and C919 planes made by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. The NTSB urged European and Chinese aviation safety regulators to evaluate those engine models to determine if they could also be susceptible to the smoke problem.
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/business/company-news/ntsb-urges-quick-fix-on-boeing-737-max-plane-engines-to-prevent-smoke-from-filling-cabin
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