Government watchdog urges FAA to address Boeing MAX engine issue

The Federal Aviation Administration should do more to address safety risks from an engine feature on Boeing's 737 MAX that has twice filled planes with smoke, a government watchdog said this week.

That feature - called a load reduction device - is meant to protect the engine from damage in the event of an emergency, like a bird strike. But in two instances in 2023, the system poured smoke into planes. Smoke filled the cabin in one instance and the cockpit in the other, sparking concern that the device could make it difficult for pilots to see and safely fly or land the plane.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general opened an investigation last year into how the FAA handled safety concerns about the system following internal disagreements within the regulator.

One team at the FAA recommended changes to takeoff procedures for all Boeing 737 MAX operators, a temporary fix while Boeing and engine-maker CFM International developed a permanent solution. Another FAA team disagreed, arguing that changes to takeoff procedures could increase pilot workload and introduce new safety concerns.

That team, which had final say in what directives the FAA issued, required Boeing and CFM to update the system and declined to change takeoff procedures.

On Tuesday, the Transportation Department's inspector general released its own findings. The inspector general found that the FAA's Corrective Action Review Board, the group that had final say, did not address all of the safety concerns the FAA's accident investigators raised.

Those accident investigators said the FAA's risk assessment process "relied too heavily on human judgement" and warned its methodology "may not be conservative enough," the inspector general said in its report.

Separately, the inspector general urged the FAA to notify pilots of the risks associated with the load reduction device and ensure airlines are training pilots on what to do if smoke enters the cockpit. It found that flight simulators used to train pilots did not adequately incorporate the engine feature, nor simulate smoke and fumes in the cockpit.

Lastly, the watchdog recommended the FAA closely monitor how long it will take to install a permanent solution on all MAX planes, warning that the workload grew as the manufacturer continued to churn out its most popular plane.

Without the FAA's improved guidance, pilots remain "vulnerable" to the same issues that occurred in 2023, which "could put the traveling public at risk," the inspector general said in its report.

Overall, the inspector general said the FAA followed its policy for responding to the two smoke events, but "further assessment is warranted."

In a response attached to the report, the FAA said it agrees with the inspector general's recommendations and plans to address them over the next several months.

"The Corrective Action Review Board process continues to serve as an effective tool," the FAA said. "FAA is committed to ensuring that Boeing and CFM International test and update affected software and that operators incorporate any necessary training so that flight crews can effectively respond to (load reduction device) activation."

Bird strikes lead to smoke-filled planes

In March 2023, on a Southwest Airlines flight from Havana, Cuba, a bird struck the right engine of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane.

That kicked off the load reduction device, a safety feature new to the MAX on the plane's LEAP-1B engine, a popular engine model from maker CFM International.

The load reduction device, or LRD, was designed to separate some bolts from the engine's forward oil reserve if the engine became unbalanced. In this case, the bird strike fractured the engine fan blades.

The LRD system is meant to reduce engine vibrations and prevent further damage to the plane's engine, wing and nearby structures. But, according to the inspector general's report, it can also release over a quart of engine oil into the plane's environmental control systems, causing potentially toxic smoke and fumes to enter the cockpit or cabin.

The Southwest plane returned to Havana and landed safely. Boeing's safety review board determined the incident was not a safety concern, according to the report.

In December 2023, the same situation happened again. This time, on a Southwest flight taking off from New Orleans, a bird struck the plane's left engine, activating the LRD system and allowing smoke and fumes to enter the cockpit.

The pilot said it became difficult to see beyond the first officer just a few feet away, and the flight crew was prepared to rely on a digital system directly in their line of vision to land the plane, in case they couldn't see other flight controls, according to the report. The flight landed safely with no reported injuries.

Boeing told the FAA in January 2024 that the incident did not meet its safety-issue criteria, but reversed course just three days later, according to the inspector general report.

Boeing published a bulletin that February to inform flight crews of the potential effects of LRD activation. That July, it signed an agreement with the FAA setting a more than three-year timeline to make a permanent change to the LRD system to ensure it wouldn't continue to pour smoke and fumes into the plane.

Tension over how to respond to the two smoke incidents, and how serious of a safety risk the LRD poses, has been brewing for quite some time.

Last year, two major unions representing pilots in North America disagreed over what needed to be done, with one union arguing that "our current procedures are effective" and the other warning that stance downplayed the severity of what could go wrong.

The inspector general said it heard a similar concern in its investigation. Officials at one of the pilot associations told the inspector general that "not all pilots may be aware" of changes caused by the LRD's activation.

Safety recommendations and a software fix

In June 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an "urgent safety recommendation" following its investigation into the New Orleans bird strike.

The safety board said it had determined the LRD could damage the engine's oil system, causing smoke from the hot oil to enter the plane's ventilation system and, ultimately, the cockpit or passenger cabin.

It asked safety regulators to determine if similar risks could exist on other CFM engine models.

The NTSB also raised concern that flight crews operating planes with the LEAP-1B engine are not "fully aware of the potential hazard" and asked the FAA to ensure aircraft operators inform pilots and staff.

Boeing and CFM said in recent statements that they are addressing the NTSB's recommendations. A spokesperson for CFM added that the NTSB and Transportation Department's inspector general made many of the same recommendations.

The companies are currently developing a software fix to address the issue.

The update would detect when the LRD kicks in and automatically close another device called the pressure regulating shut-off valve, which would limit the flow of potentially harmful air to the cockpit or cabin, according to the inspector general report.

The fix should be complete this year, according to the report, with installation across the fleet of affected planes by mid-2028.

Using FAA data from May 2025, the inspector general report said U.S. carriers were flying 612 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 planes with LEAP-1B engines, as well as 197 Airbus A320 and A321neo planes with LEAP-1A engines that were equipped with the LRD.

The 2028 installation timeline is roughly in line with the initial agreement between Boeing and the FAA, which gave the manufacturer and engine-maker more than three years to resolve the issue, according to the report.

But, the inspector general warned, "the risk to the current fleet, aircrews and passengers may exist well into the future if there are any significant delays."

As of January 2026, there have not been any additional reports of LRD activation, the inspector general noted.

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