WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to implement recommendations stemming from several instances in which smoke was reported in the cockpit of a Boeing 757 aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.In response, the FAA said that Boeing has already notified carriers of the problem and how to fix it.
The most recent incident took place Wednesday when an American Airlines B757-200 flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia made an emergency landing in West Palm Beach, Fla. Several of those aboard — the flight carried 139 passengers and seven crewmembers — were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation, the NTSB said.
While that incident was still under investigation, the NTSB noted five incidents between 2004 and 2006 in which smoke, and in some cases fire, was reported to have originated from window heating systems in B-757 aircraft.
In September, the NTSB issued two safety recommendations to the FAA asking the agency to require the installation of redesigned window heating systems in all Boeing 747, 757, 767 and 777 series aircraft. The recommendations have not been implemented, the NTSB said.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said Friday night that Boeing in recent weeks had issued a service bulletin, a voluntary notice that Dorr said addresses the most urgent safety issues. The FAA expected to issue an air worthiness directive, which mandates action, in the next few months, he said.
The Boeing service bulletin did not include the 747 series, Dorr said, adding that the FAA was in discussions with Boeing regarding that model.
The crew aboard the flight originating in San Juan said that while at cruise altitude over the Atlantic Ocean, smoke began emanating from the window heating system connected to the first officer's windshield, the NTSB said. The crew donned oxygen masks and smoke goggles and diverted to Palm Beach International Airport.
During the descent to land, the inner pane of the first officer's windshield shattered, the NTSB said. The crew continued the descent and landed without further incident.
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