A loose patch threatens the safety of Boeing 737 MAX worldwide: immediate review ordered

Boeing And this Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) They issued a warning to the airlines operating the flights 737 max Inspect the rudder control system for possible loose bolt fittings. The airline discovered a bolt missing a nut during routine maintenance; A similar problem was observed with the non-delivered aircraft. According to cnnAlthough the US company fixed the affected aircraft, the more than 1.3 million Max in service worldwide now require a check to prevent similar incidents.

The FAA It announced that it was “closely monitoring target inspections” of the aircraft Boeing 737 Max It has urged airlines to use their approved safety management systems to conduct these reviews, which are estimated to take approximately two hours per flight. Fox Business.

Boeing For their part, they announced that “the problem with the private aircraft has been resolved” and as a precaution, they recommend that the operators carry out relevant investigations and report any findings. The company has also announced that testing will be conducted on all new aircraft 737 max Before delivery. Although no in-service incidents have been reported due to this problem, the flight crew conducts routine checks to detect any rudder malfunction before take-off.

Alaska Airlines An airline spokesperson said it plans to begin inspections on Thursday, December 28, with an expectation of completing inspections in the first half of January 2024, and expects no operational impact as a result of the process. CNBC. For its part, a spokesperson United AirlinesOne of the largest customers of 737 max, stressed that they do not expect the matter to affect their operations. In the same line, American Airlines It said it would complete the investigations and did not expect any impact on its operations.

The FAA He also confirmed that he will keep in touch with them Boeing And airlines will consider additional measures based on future findings of more loose or missing items while inspections are ongoing. It is appropriate to mention the sample 737 max In 2018 and 2019, two deadly accidents in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 people and landed them globally for 20 months.

These events led to Boeing To implement changes in the model to its crew warning and flight control systems 737 max. Additionally, the company undertook the renewal of its existing fleet Maximum 8 And Maximum 9 and waiting for the certificate FAA For smaller models Maximum 7 And huge Maximum 10.