SEARCHING FOR WEAKENED FAN BLADES AFTER SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FATALITY

In the wake of the fatality aboard a Southwest Airlines flight in April, aircraft technicians sent ultrasonic waves through the fan blades of thousands of jet engines to check for metal fatigue. Investigators quickly suspected that a blade broke off from the left engine of the Southwest Boeing 737-700, spraying debris into the fuselage and causing the deadly decompression that killed a passenger.
Full story by Tom Risen at Aerospace America,