A Mesa Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 shed a fan blade and lost the front section of its left engine cowling during a scheduled flight from Denver to Phoenix last Thursday. Operating for US Airways as America West Express, Mesa Flight 2985 had flown some 60 miles south from Denver International Airport when, at about 5:30 p.m. MST, the airplane’s No. 1 GE CF34-3B1 turbofan ejected the blade. The crew returned the fully loaded 50-seat jet to Denver on one engine and reported no injuries. GE has sent a team of technicians to aid the NTSB’s investigation. According to GE, the CF34 had never before experienced an uncontained failure. Introduced on the Bombardier Challenger 601 in 1983, the CF34 core also powers the various Embraer E-Jets and awaits installation in the first ACAC ARJ21 regional jet from China.