Comment on Federal Aviation Administration to order stepped up inspections of engine model that spewed debris over Broomfield

The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday decided to order increased safety inspections for the type of engine that caught fire and spewed debris over a northern Denver suburb Saturday. “We reviewed all available safety data following yesterday’s incident,” Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement. “Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes.” Three aviation experts on Sunday told the Denver Post that the blades, which spin rapidly inside the engine, were a potential culprit for the uncontained engine failure that United Airlines Flight 328 experienced after the Hawaii-bound Boeing 777-200 took off from Denver, though they cautioned that they can only speculate on the cause, and said  it’s too soon to know whether poor maintenance, old age or an external force — like a bird — contributed to the problem. LISTEN: Mayday call from United Airlines Flight 328 before emergency landing at DIA There are hundreds of spinning blades inside the massive engine, said Mike Robertson, a retired FAA inspector and Army pilot who reviewed photos and videos of the incident. “I’m 6’3’’ and I can stand in the inlet of that engine,” he said, adding, “With an initial look at it, it looked like one of the impeller blades, the first set of blades you see inside an engine, it looks like one of those probably broke or came loose.