Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs) Aviation Safety & Regulation Policy & Regulation Boeing

DOT inspector questions FAA approach to FAA-mandated software update after LEAP engine smoke incidents; GE and Boeing seek fix

A U.S. DOT inspector raised concerns about how the FAA is responding to recent LEAP engine smoke incidents, particularly regarding the FAA’s planned requirement for a software update. GE and Boeing are working on the software change intended to address the underlying issue.

Discovered 2026-04-23T19:06:26.751035-07:00 | 2026-04-23T19:06:26.751035-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

The inspector’s critique adds scrutiny to the FAA’s enforcement posture around LEAP smoke events and the software-update pathway, affecting near-term compliance timelines for operators and OEMs.
GE and Boeing’s software remediation effort will be closely watched as precedent for how regulators translate incident findings into mandatory fixes—continuing the kind of oversight pressure highlighted in Boeing rewrites flight-deck processes as FAA ratchets up scrutiny.
Expect knock-on implications for Boeing’s and GE’s safety assurance and FAA interaction models, in the context of the FAA’s ongoing stance that Boeing wasn’t yet cleared for full delegated certification authority, despite progress, as covered in FAA: Boeing Not Cleared for Full Delegated Certification Authority Despite Progress.

Reported By

AviationPros Simple Flying aeromorning.com FlightGlobal