Sean Broderick covers aviation safety, MRO, and the hardware side of the airline business from Aviation Week Network's Washington, D.C. office.
Broderick's aviation career started in 1991, working for Airbus in Toulouse. His industry experience includes four years with an aviation consultancy, where he helped launch a U.S. Part 121 carrier; 12 years with the American Association of Airport Executives, where he served as editor of Airport Magazine; and 20 years in full- and part-time roles with Aviation Week writing primarily about safety and the aftermarket.
Broderick was named the 2020 Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Aerospace Media Awards. He also shared in a 2020 Neal Award for Best News Coverage with Aviation Week Network colleagues. Broderick and Aviation Week colleague John Croft shared the 2015 Flight Safety International Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award recognizing "significant contributions by journalists to aviation safety awareness."
He graduated from James Madison University with a B.S. in Communications ('91) and earned an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications ('13) from West Virginia University.
The FAA yesterday ordered Boeing 767 operators to inspect main landing gear (MLG) components and revise maintenance programs after cracks and heat damage to pivot joint components were found during dozens of gear overhauls. The damaged components included pivot pins, truck beam lugs and inner cylinder lugs, all found in the center of the gear truck between the two sets of wheels. “Heat damage and cracks were found at the pivot joint location [and] caused by the truck pitching motion during normal airplane operations,” Boeing says in a service bulletin.
The FAA plans to recall—on an as-needed basis—some furloughed Aviation Safety Organization (AVS) employees, including safety inspectors, if the government shutdown is not resolved quickly. “If the furlough extends longer than a few days, we will begin to recall as many as 2,500 employees back to work incrementally, including safety inspectors, engineers and technical support staff, depending on need,” the FAA says in a statement.
Operators of Airbus narrowbodies powered by IAE engines continue to find cracks in engine pylon ribs under a mandated inspection program, leading European regulators to keep the checks in place for those models while ending the requirement for CFM56-powered aircraft. The cracks, in aft fairing Rib 5, caused one in-flight loss of a pylon tail cone. The incident led Airbus to recommend inspections for all of its narrowbodies—a move mandated last year by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
