Keep in mind that the CFM56-7B engines in question are in use on over 8,000 airplanes. Signs seem to be pointing to metal fatigue causing a single fan blade separation, which is the same thing that caused the uncontrolled engine failure on SWA3472 two years ago.
It could be just a bad coincidence that these fan blade separations both happened on SWA planes or it could be some issue related to SWA maintenance practices. There's no way to know (or more accurately, probably no way to ever know).
I imagine there will be some kind of airworthiness directive from the FAA advising operators to conduct ultrasound, radiology or other non destructive testing for metal fatigue on fan blades from this engine every certain number of cycles. Perhaps some such directive exists or is already built in to operator maintenance schedules, but perhaps it should be performed with greater frequency. But I ultimately think that will be the outcome.
It could be just a bad coincidence that these fan blade separations both happened on SWA planes or it could be some issue related to SWA maintenance practices. There's no way to know (or more accurately, probably no way to ever know).
I imagine there will be some kind of airworthiness directive from the FAA advising operators to conduct ultrasound, radiology or other non destructive testing for metal fatigue on fan blades from this engine every certain number of cycles. Perhaps some such directive exists or is already built in to operator maintenance schedules, but perhaps it should be performed with greater frequency. But I ultimately think that will be the outcome.
