US airlines should improve pilot training for smoke in cockpit, NTSB says

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) – 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 December 2023 Southwest Airlines flight of a ‌Boeing 737 MAX after a bird flew into an engine and smoke rapidly filled the cockpit. “If such an event occurred at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, the consequences could be catastrophic,” the NTSB said.

Southwest ‌did ​not immediately comment.

In the incident on the ⁠Southwest flight, the NTSB ⁠said the flight crew on departure from New Orleans had difficulty seeing instruments and checklist items as visibility deteriorated within seconds. Pilots donned oxygen masks, completed emergency procedures, declared ​an emergency and safely returned to the airport. None of the 139 people onboard were injured.

The NTSB said that although ⁠the Federal Aviation Administration receives nearly ⁠daily notifications of in-flight emergencies due to smoke ​in the cockpit, passenger airlines are not required to conduct ​realistic smoke-in-cockpit simulation training.

“Existing training often consists only of ‌verbal discussion of a smoke event rather than immersive simulation involving reduced visibility or elevated workload,” the NTSB said.

The board recommended that the FAA work with industry to “develop standardized, realistic smoke-in-cockpit ⁠simulation training for pilots and incorporate that training into its guidance for overseeing airline training programs.”

In 2024, the FAA opted not to require ⁠any immediate action ‌after convening a review board to consider ⁠concerns about Boeing 737 MAX engines including the ​2023 ‌incident.

Another incident occurred in a Southwest March ​2023 flight that ⁠had departed Havana and in which a bird strike led to smoke filling the passenger cabin.

Boeing in February 2024 published a bulletin to inform flight crews of potential flight deck and cabin effects associated with severe engine damage.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing ​by David Gregorio)