Recent documents have revealed that two major airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, were warned by Boeing about a potential issue involving bird strikes on the engines of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The warning stated that in the event of a bird strike, the passenger cabin could become filled with smoke.
Boeing's alert to the airlines mentioned that there had been two reports of engine failures following large bird strikes during takeoff and initial climb. This could lead to oil burning and the immediate presence of smoke and fumes entering the passenger cabin through the air conditioning system.
While the issue was not widely publicized until now, it raises concerns about potential safety issues with the 737 Max aircraft, which have faced previous manufacturing and design challenges.
The engine manufacturer, CFM International, has stated that their engines have met bird ingestion certification requirements and performed as designed during the reported incidents. They emphasized that the birds involved in the incidents were larger than those used for certification testing.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that they will be working with Boeing to investigate these incidents further and determine if any additional actions are necessary based on their findings.
Boeing confirmed that they issued a service bulletin in February after the bird strike incidents and have been collaborating with CFM International to gather more information on the matter. They are keeping the FAA and their operators informed of any developments.
During a recent congressional hearing, Boeing's outgoing CEO, Dave Calhoun, took responsibility for the company's recent failures, including incidents involving the 737 Max aircraft. This includes a door plug blowout on a 737 Max 9 and the tragic crashes of two 737 Max 8 planes that resulted in the loss of 346 lives.
