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Economic Times
32 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Economic Times
US govt's accident investigation agency issues an urgent warning for Boeing, Airbus planes
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation, has issued an urgent safety alert concerning certain engines used in Boeing and Airbus aircraft, warning of a risk that smoke could fill the cockpit and passenger cabin during warning applies specifically to CFM International's LEAP-1B engines, which are used on Boeing 737 Max and some Airbus A320neo aircraft. The NTSB says a safety feature called the load reduction device—designed to limit vibrations if an engine is damaged—can accidentally interfere with the engine's oil system, allowing hot oil fumes to leak into the plane's ventilation.'Such a condition can allow smoke from hot oil to enter the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin,' the NTSB advisory follows a series of smoke-related incidents, including one on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max in December 2023, when the jet's left engine ingested a bird shortly after takeoff from New Orleans. The cockpit filled with thick, 'acrid white smoke,' forcing the crew to wear oxygen masks and return to the airport. A similar event was reported on another Southwest flight out of Havana earlier that no injuries were reported in either case, the NTSB is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require airlines to inform flight crews if their aircraft are equipped with the affected engines. Boeing has already updated its flight manuals to help pilots manage such NTSB also called on aviation regulators in Europe and China to evaluate whether other variants of the CFM LEAP engine might face similar problems. In addition, the agency is recommending that both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate new software modifications developed by CFM and Boeing to prevent future smoke incidents.'We are aligned with the NTSB's recommendations, and work is already underway in close partnership with our airframers,' a CFM spokesperson told The warning comes amid growing scrutiny of U.S. aviation safety, following several recent incidents—including a deadly plane crash in Philadelphia and a mid-air collision near Washington, D.C.—that have raised alarm across the airline industry.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
US govt's accident investigation agency issues an urgent warning for Boeing, Airbus planes
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation, has issued an urgent safety alert concerning certain engines used in Boeing and Airbus aircraft, warning of a risk that smoke could fill the cockpit and passenger cabin during flight. The warning applies specifically to CFM International's LEAP-1B engines, which are used on Boeing 737 Max and some Airbus A320neo aircraft. The NTSB says a safety feature called the load reduction device—designed to limit vibrations if an engine is damaged—can accidentally interfere with the engine's oil system, allowing hot oil fumes to leak into the plane's ventilation. 'Such a condition can allow smoke from hot oil to enter the ventilation system and ultimately the cockpit or passenger cabin,' the NTSB said. The advisory follows a series of smoke-related incidents, including one on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max in December 2023, when the jet's left engine ingested a bird shortly after takeoff from New Orleans. The cockpit filled with thick, 'acrid white smoke,' forcing the crew to wear oxygen masks and return to the airport. A similar event was reported on another Southwest flight out of Havana earlier that year. While no injuries were reported in either case, the NTSB is urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require airlines to inform flight crews if their aircraft are equipped with the affected engines. Boeing has already updated its flight manuals to help pilots manage such scenarios. Live Events The NTSB also called on aviation regulators in Europe and China to evaluate whether other variants of the CFM LEAP engine might face similar problems. In addition, the agency is recommending that both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate new software modifications developed by CFM and Boeing to prevent future smoke incidents. 'We are aligned with the NTSB's recommendations, and work is already underway in close partnership with our airframers,' a CFM spokesperson told The Independent . The warning comes amid growing scrutiny of U.S. aviation safety, following several recent incidents—including a deadly plane crash in Philadelphia and a mid-air collision near Washington, D.C.—that have raised alarm across the airline industry. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Mint
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Mint
Boeing 737 Max engine issue can cause smoke in the Cabin, warns NTSB
Boeing 737 Max: US safety investigators have called for urgent action regarding an engine issue on the Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft that could fill the cockpit and cabin with smoke. The National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation comes after two such incidents were reported in which planes were filled with smoke after large birds struck their engines. Both incidents involved 737 Max aircraft flown by Southwest Airlines and powered by Leap-1B engines made by CFM International, which is a joint venture of GE Aerospace and Safran SA. The NTSB connected the incidents to a malfunction with one of the engine's key safety features. In both cases, damage to the fan blades following the bird strikes activated a safety feature known as the load reduction device in the Leap-1B engines. This device is meant to protect the aircraft from heavy vibrations that can cause further problems. However, in those incidents when the system activated, there was a malfunction that led to oil leaking into the hot section of the engine, causing smoke to enter the cockpit or cabin and posing a potential safety risk. The safety agency on Wednesday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure flight crews are alerted to the problem and to emphasise revisions Boeing has made to flight manuals detailing steps pilots should take if they come across any issues, Bloomberg reported. It also asked the FAA, as well as other aviation authorities in the European Union and China, to determine whether the same issue exists in other variants of the Leap engine used by Airbus SE and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., known more commonly as Comac. The FAA said that both the regulator and Boeing have alerted operators to the issue. 'We advised operators to evaluate their procedures and crew training to ensure they address this potential issue'. 'When the engine manufacturer develops a permanent mitigation, we will require operators to implement it within an appropriate timeframe,' the news agency reported. A spokesperson for CFM said that work is already underway to address the smoke risk. This includes a software update for the Leap-1B and assessments to determine whether other variants have a similar issue. According to Bloomberg, Boeing also responded by stating that it has been working with CFM on the software update and supports the NTSB's recommendation. 'We're reviewing the recommendations and have mitigation procedures currently in place,' Southwest said in a statement. The carrier said it is in close contact with the FAA, Boeing and CFM on the issue and on identifying a permanent solution. Southwest also said it notified its flight crews about the potential effects of some bird strikes following the incidents, which both occurred in 2023. The NTSB announced in November that it was investigating one of the 2023 occurrences. Bloomberg said that decision came after the FAA said it would hold a Corrective Action Review Board to evaluate internal recommendations compiled by a small group of the regulator's investigators that had leaked to the public. The recommendations included a short-term fix that would require pilots to temporarily alter takeoff procedures while Boeing worked on a more permanent solution. However, the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service determined that the short-term change wasn't necessary and instead proposed mandating a longer-term fix to update the engine software, according to a memo from the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General, the new agency reported.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
New report details final minutes of flight that killed rock drummer and 5 others in San Diego
The private jet that crashed last month in San Diego, killing all six on board, was flying too low before it hit power lines and slammed into a house, investigators said Wednesday. According to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, the plane reached a descent point about three miles from the runway that was too low, before dropping to 60 feet above ground level. The power lines that the plane struck were about 90 feet above the ground and about 1.8 nautical miles away from the runway. Portions of the plane's left horizontal stabilizer and its vertical stabilizer were later found about 200 feet downrange of the power lines, according to the NTSB report. The plane then slammed into a house in a nearby San Diego neighborhood. The victims of the crash included rock drummer Daniel Williams, music agent Dave Shapiro, booking associate Emma L. Huke, 25, photographer Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 35, and booking associate Kendall Fortner, 24. Eight people on the ground had minor injuries, investigators said. Shapiro was flying the Cessna Citation jet on May 22 from Teterboro, N.J., with plans to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego, when he encountered low visibility and thick fog, according to the four-page NTSB report. Read more: Airport weather systems, runway lights were out during deadly Cessna crash in San Diego The automated system that provides weather conditions and runway lights weren't operating at the airport before the plane crashed, the report confirmed. The NTSB report said the pilot told the control tower that he knew the system that provides weather information was out of commission. The NTSB report said that the pilot asked the air traffic controller to help him determine the weather conditions at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Instead, the report said the controller gave the pilot the weather conditions at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, located about four miles north, where winds were calm and visibility was up to half a mile. The report also said that the runway lighting system had not been working since March 28, 2022, and that the repairs had been delayed awaiting the completion of an environmental study. The preliminary report did not include any conclusions or discuss wrongdoing and does not say when a final report is expected to be released. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Fox News
12 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Plane was flying too low during descent in crash that killed rock musician and music exec, NTSB finds
A preliminary investigation into a May plane crash which claimed the lives of six people, including The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams, provided more insight into the cause of the fatal collision. The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report indicated that not only were faulty runway lights an issue, but weather may have affected the pilot's ability to land safely at the airport near San Diego, Calif. "The controller informed the pilot that the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at MYF (Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport) was out of service and the pilot acknowledged that he was aware of that," the report stated. The runway lights had not been working since March 28, 2022. MYF is a tower-controlled airport between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the report, and operates as an uncontrolled airport during the remaining hours of the day. The pilot, who was approved to fly the Cessna S550 single-pilot aircraft on Dec. 15, 2024, discussed "alternate airport weather conditions with the controller in the event he had to perform a missed approach," according to the report. Weather conditions at Marine Corp Air Station Miramar (NKS), roughly four miles north of the airport, were described as calm wind, with ½ mile visibility and an indefinite 200-foot ceiling. The pilot allegedly stated he would notify Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control of his selection for an alternate airport, but did not do so during the remainder of the flight. "When the airplane was about 10 mi northeast of NESTY, the controller asked the pilot if he was going to 'make your descent' and asked if he would like vectors to the south. The pilot replied, 'I think we'll be alright,'" the report stated. "The controller informed the pilot that he was 5 miles from NESTY and instructed them to cross NESTY at or above 3,800 ft msl, and that he was cleared the RNAV approach to runway 28R at MYF, which the pilot acknowledged." The pilot then made a position call that he was at three miles on the approach, followed by "the sound of the microphone button being keyed seven times, consistent with an attempt to activate the pilot-controlled runway lighting." Roughly 2.9 nautical miles from the airport, the Cessna was flying too low for the runway at an altitude of about 1,190 feet msl over PALOS. The minimum crossing altitude was listed at or above 1,380 feet msl. The first identified point of contact was roughly 1.8 nm from the runway when the aircraft damaged power transmission lines which were 90-95 feet above the ground, the NTSB stated. Portions of the plane were located about 200 feet downrange of the lines, with a debris field reaching more than one mile away on a residential street. The airplane impacted one residential structure and 20 vehicles, which were damaged or destroyed by impact or post-impact fire. The airplane was not equipped with a flight data recorder. A cockpit voice recorder was recovered from the wreckage, the NTSB said. "The repairs of the affected RAI lighting components and replacement of the light system have been delayed awaiting completion of an environmental study. All other runway lighting was operable at the time of the accident," NTSB said in the report. Dave Shapiro, a music industry executive in the heavy metal and hard rock scene, and drummer Daniel Williams were among those killed in the crash. Eight people reported minor injuries on the ground. Shapiro had a pilot's license and was listed as the owner of the plane that crashed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. He was among the six people killed in the crash, along with two employees, the music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed at the time. "We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today's tragedy," the music agency he co-founded, Sound Talent Group, wrote in a statement.
