NTSB: Metal Fatigue Found on Southwest Engine
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Unfortunately, one woman did die, passenger, Jennifer Riordan (ph), from New Mexico, a Wells Fargo executive, a wife and mother of two. Riordan (ph) was nearly sucked out of the plane window after the explosion shattered it. Meantime, Southwest Airlines just announced it is, quote, unquote, "accelerating" its existing engine inspection program relating to the CFM56 engine family. We are also expecting an update from NTSB officials at some time this afternoon. The chairman says investigators found signs of metal fatigue on the left engine that failed. And they released this video showing investigators examining the engine. Its edges just totally torn and ripped apart. There was also a fan blade missing from the plane's operating engine. The FBI is asking anyone who finds plane debris to contact the Philadelphia office as soon as possible. With me is Alan Armstrong, a pilot and aviation attorney who represents crash victims. He is standing next to a jet engine similar to the one on the Southwest 737. Alan, thank you for joining us from Georgia.</s>ALAN ARMSTRONG, PILOT AND AVIATION ATTORNEY: Brooke, you are very welcome.</s>BALDWIN: This is a similar plane. Tell me what kind of plane you're standing next to and walk me through the anatomy of an engine first and foremost.</s>ARMSTRONG: OK. A jet engine has been called a cylinder of spinning sabers. So here's your cylinder and your spinning sabers are the blades. There are the blades. The air rushes into the engine, the air is compressed by the blades. As the air is compressed, there is I.G. natinition and that gives you power to the aircraft. In commercial aircraft, there is a containment belt to keep these blades from penetrating and flying out the nacell. Apparently, the belt may have failed but we don't know that for certain. The questions are how did this happen? You have these engine components spinning at a tremendous rate of speed. If there is a fatigue crack possibly due to centrifugal force --</s>BALDWIN: Alan, can I jump in, sir?</s>ARMSTRONG: Yes.</s>BALDWIN: These are the blades and a preliminary look shows one of its 24 fan blades missing and there was this evidence of metal fatigue, which from what I read is not obvious to someone doing maintenance on the external piece, right? Explain metal fatigue for me and how you detect it.</s>ARMSTRONG: OK. An aircraft engine works on principles of heat. The engine is cold and then it gets hot and you shut it down and it gets cold again. The metal is expanding and contracting, expanding and contracting, expanding and extracting, getting larger and smaller, and that can cause pressure to the engine. We don't know what this part was. We don't know what part this was. One thing we do know apparently is that it had a fatigue crack and it departed the engine by virtue of centrifugal force.</s>BALDWIN: A lot of people watching you right now are thinking could my next aircraft be at risk? Are other airlines, other planes -- could the same risk exist?</s>ARMSTRONG: Brooke, they're all at risk. They're all at risk, Brooke. Every one of them is at risk.</s>BALDWIN: So how do we make sure this doesn't happen on any of the planes in the future?</s>ARMSTRONG: Flying is risk assessment and mitigating risk, Brooke. We cannot completely eliminate the risk if we're going to operate aircraft. We can inspect, survey and examine but we cannot guarantee.</s>BALDWIN: Wow. And as a pilot, Alan, what do you make of this pilot who really saved the day?</s>ARMSTRONG: Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. My hat's off to her. Great job. Great job.</s>BALDWIN: Alan Armstrong, I appreciate you. Thank you very much for your expertise, just walking us through what might have happened. This flight, no question, terrifying. Next, we'll speak to a passenger who was buying time on the Internet as the plane was going down, and live streamed this experience, desperate to make contact with the outside world, perhaps to say good- bye thinking he wouldn't survive.