The interior of a Boeing 737
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday issued yet another airworthiness directive concerning the beleaguered Boeing 737 Max family of aircraft.
The move comes after a foreign operator of the type discovered loose bolts in the rudder control system on one of its planes, albeit in December. Following the revelation, Boeing recommended inspections for 737 Max 8, Max 8-200, and Max 9 aircraft.
The announcement is the latest in a string of events which began in 2018 and 2019 with two hull losses of brand new 737 Max jets that crashed within six months of one another. The death toll from the two incidents was 344.
The new issue is unrelated to the missing bolts that are believed to have contributed to the blowout of a door plug from an Alaska Airlines airliner in January while the aircraft was in flight. No serious injuries occurred as result of that incident.
The FAA said that a total of 1,299 planes are affected by the order. While some 482 of those are registered in the United States, those planes were inspected by early January at the latest, acting on Boeing’s guidance.
The airworthiness directive will be published in the Federal Register on February 12, a move that will give it the force of law.
The agency said that what had been believed to be the missing bolt had actually “migrated” after a washer and nut were found to be missing missing from its assembly.
The FAA declined to identify which airline first discovered the problem beyond saying that it was not a U.S. operator.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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