Safety Analysis of Uncontained Engine Failure - Southwest Airlines Flight 1380

Alexandra C. Kemp, Jahnavi Dalal , Usama Tassawar and Chien-Tsung Lu

ABSTRACT

  The safety analysis and objective of this study examined the risk surrounding accident factors of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, specifically, the reasons for the accident occurrence and prevention methods in the future.  By understanding how the accident of Flight 1380 occurred, these observations showed what went wrong with the aircraft and how to prevent future accidents that could stem from similar maintenance failures.  The safety analysis included researching the engine manufacturer CFM International, understanding fan blade inspections, engine cowling design of the 737-7H4 aircraft, and cabin crew training for Southwest Airlines.  By observing the processes of design and flight training, these factors can impact safety, protocol, and risk assessments.  To investigate Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, this safety analysis uses a Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Fishbone Ishikawa Analysis to assess how the root causes had led to the left engine failure.  In addition, the safety analysis observed peer-reviewed articles, investigation reports, and scholarly studies.  In conclusion, this research focused on understanding how the accident of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 occurred, how the accident could have been prevented, and answered questions not presented in the NTSB report.

KEYWORDS: Aviation Safety; Human Factors; Fault Tree; Fishbone Analysis; Accident Investigation; Flight 1380

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