Citing concerns raised by an engine failure that sent debris through the window of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and killed a passenger, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) says it will review the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) safety oversight of the airline.
The OIG said earlier this week that the review, scheduled to begin later in June, will focus on the FAA’s “oversight of Southwest Airlines’ systems for managing risk.”
The OIG said the review is being prompted by several recent events, including the April 17 failure of the left CFM International CFM56-7B engine on Flight 1380, en route from New York to Dallas, Texas. One passenger was killed and eight received minor injuries after debris from the engine broke through a passenger window, causing a rapid depressurization. The flight crew conducted an emergency descent and landed the 737 in Philadelphia.
The OIG’s announcement of its audit said that prelimin…
