NTSB calls for improving pilot training for smoke in cockpit

WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday recommended improving training for pilot preparedness for smoke-in-cockpit emergencies after a 2023 incident.

The board cited a 2023 Southwest Airlines flight of a Boeing 737-8 that ingested a bird into the airplane's left engine, followed by smoke rapidly filling the cockpit. "If such an event occurred at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, the consequences could be catastrophic," the NTSB said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 12:02 PM.