The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to require expanded inspections of CFM56-7B fan blades, the engine that powers the bulk of the U.S. Boeing 737 fleet. A draft airworthiness directive set for publication July 31 would adopt updated procedures from CFM International that widen the inspected area of the fan blade root and increase inspection frequency, building on an inspection program that traces back to 2018.
That original program followed the April 2018 in-flight failure of a fan blade on a Southwest Airlines 737-700, an accident that caused a passenger fatality after a fatigue crack led to blade separation. CFM has revised its service bulletin several times since then based on findings from the ongoing inspections, and the newest revision is the fifth update to that bulletin.
The proposed rule comes shortly after a separate in-flight engine failure on a Malta Air 737-800 involving the same engine family, though investigators have not linked that incident to the earlier Southwest event or to the unsafe condition the new directive addresses. The FAA said the timing of the update was coincidental, noting the revised CFM guidance was already planned for release in the third quarter of 2026 before the more recent incident occurred.
For maintenance, repair and overhaul providers, the directive would translate into additional inspection workload across a large share of the in-service 737 fleet, since the CFM56-7B remains one of the most widely operated commercial engines in the United States. Airlines and MRO shops handling the type will need to fold the expanded procedures into upcoming maintenance checks once the rule is finalized.
Source: Aviation Week -- https://aviationweek.com/mro/safety-ops-regulation/faa-mandate-expanded-cfm56-fan-blade-checks