More to the point, I suspect a design problem -- the cowling is supposed to contain a thrown fan blade, and it appears that just one blade came loose or broke off.
The engine may have had quite a few parts replaced, but some of it is indeed 18 years old. I don't know what maintenance schedules are for modern high bypass engines, but they are very robust and require much less repair than the older ones. Needless to say, failed engines are a huge headache and I don't think Southwest cheats on maintaining them. If the failure was indeed a fatigue failure as the NTSB has stated, it's a materials/inspection problem, not a maintenance problem unless the blades were removed and re-installed by Southwest. CFM56 engines have a good reputation, unlike the GE engines on the DC-10. _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
