Southwest Airlines Cancels Flights For Engine Inspections
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Following last week's emergency landing due to engine failure that resulted in the tragic death of 48-year-old Jennifer Riordan, Southwest Airlines has released a statement explaining new safety measures they have begun to institute.
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Southwest Airlines says, "When we announced the accelerated engine fan blade inspection program on Tuesday night, we said there would be some impact to the operation. We have minimized flight disruptions this past week through actions such as proactive aircraft routings to cover open trips and utilizing spare aircraft, when available. Today, we have only canceled about 40 flights out of a planned schedule of almost 4,000 flights. The cancellations are minimal."
On Friday, Southwest released a statement addressing their airworthiness following the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s issuance of a directive.
The airline is encouraging customers to check their website to find out about flight changes.
An investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board led them to believe that one of the engine fan blades snapped on the Southwest flight.
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This led to debris breaking a window and causing the death of Riordan, who was sucked partway out of the 737 and later died from the trauma.
The flight, which was headed from New York to Dallas with 149 people aboard, made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.
Some passengers aboard the Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 received a $5,000 check and other travel vouchers by way of apology.
