FAA slammed over MAX cabin smoke
- The Transportation Department’s inspector general said the Federal Aviation Administration needs more action on a Boeing 737 MAX smoke hazard after reviewing two 2023 bird-strike incidents on Southwest flights. - Investigators said the LEAP-1B engine’s load reduction device can let oil mist enter the ventilation system, and the proposed software fix is still working toward approval and fleet installation. - The report keeps pressure on the FAA after the National Transportation Safety Board issued urgent recommendations on the same risk in June 2025. (oig.dot.gov)
A U.S. watchdog said the Federal Aviation Administration has not done enough to address a Boeing 737 MAX engine problem that can fill cockpits or cabins with smoke. (oig.dot.gov) The Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General released the report on April 21, 2026, after reviewing two 2023 incidents involving Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets with CFM International LEAP-1B engines. (oig.dot.gov) In both cases, bird strikes damaged engine fan blades, activated a safety feature called the load reduction device, and led to oil mist and fumes entering the airplane. (oig.dot.gov) (ntsb.gov) The load reduction device is meant to protect the airplane from violent vibration after major fan damage. Investigators said that same device can damage the engine oil system and send smoke from hot oil into the ventilation system. (ntsb.gov 1) (ntsb.gov 2) One incident was Southwest flight 3923 from Havana to Fort Lauderdale on March 5, 2023, when passengers reported smoke in the cabin after a bird strike and the jet returned to Cuba. (nbcnews.com) (nbcmiami.com) The other was Southwest flight 554 from New Orleans on December 20, 2023, when the National Transportation Safety Board said “acrid white smoke” filled the cockpit after a bird was ingested into the left engine. (ntsb.gov) The inspector general said the FAA followed its own policy, but said the agency still needs more assessment of unresolved safety issues. Those include how long a permanent software fix will take to reach the fleet, how newly hired pilots are warned about the hazard, and how crews are trained to use oxygen equipment. (oig.dot.gov) The FAA’s Corrective Action Review Board chose in November 2024 to pursue an airworthiness directive through a notice of proposed rulemaking once updated software becomes available. FAA accident investigators had pushed for stronger interim steps, according to the watchdog. (oig.dot.gov) The National Transportation Safety Board had already escalated the issue on June 18, 2025, issuing an urgent recommendation to the FAA and additional recommendations to Boeing, CFM International, European regulators, and Chinese regulators. (ntsb.gov 1) (ntsb.gov 2) The watchdog report says Boeing and CFM are developing software designed to detect load reduction device activation and close a pressure-regulating shutoff valve, with approvals targeted in 2026 and fleet installation stretching to mid-2028. (hoodline.com) (oig.dot.gov) For the FAA, the report leaves the same problem open: a device meant to protect a damaged engine can still send smoke into the airplane before the permanent fix arrives. (oig.dot.gov) (ntsb.gov)
