NTSB issues ‘urgent’ safety warning for some Boeing 737s, including MAX, latest blow to struggling plane maker
CNN
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The National Transportation Safety Board is issuing “urgent safety recommendations” for some Boeing 737s – including the troubled 737 MAX line – warning that critical flight controls could seize.
The independent investigative agency warns that an actuator attached to the rudder of some 737 NG and 737 MAX planes could fail. The move comes after the NTSB investigated a February incident in which pilots of a United Airlines MAX 8 landing in Newark reported their rudder pedals were “stuck” in the neutral position.
This warning is the latest black eye for Boeing. The company has made headlines this year, from an exploding door jam in January to a 33,000-worker strike that began this month.
“The Boeing 737 Flight Manual instructs pilots experiencing a stuck or restricted rudder to ‘control the stuck or restricted system (using) maximum force, including a combined effort of both pilots,'” the NTSB said in a press release.
“The NTSB expressed concern that this amount of force applied during landing or deployment could result in significant action on the rudder pedals and a sudden, large, and undesirable rudder deflection that could unintentionally cause a loss of control or departure from a runway,” he said. » said the statement.
The NTSB recommends that Boeing find an alternative solution and warn pilots of the problem.
In a statement, the FAA says it is “monitoring the situation closely” and will “convene a corrective action review board on Friday based on the NTSB’s interim recommendations and determine next steps.” CNN has contacted Boeing for comment.
The FAA says United Airlines is the only U.S. airline that has 737s that use the components in question and that they are no longer used.
Over the past five years, Boeing has experienced a myriad of problems, some tragic, some embarrassing. Most of them proved financially devastating.
Two fatal crashes of its 737 Max, one in October 2018 and the other in March 2019, killed 346 people and led to the 20-month grounding of Boeing’s best-selling plane and the shutdown of deliveries to correct a design defect linked to accidents. .
FAA: Boeing workers forced to prioritize speed over quality
Boeing then faced a series of other questions about the quality and safety of its planes. This surveillance intensified after a door jam caused a 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines to explode shortly after takeoff on January 5. Although no one was killed or seriously injured, the incident sparked numerous federal investigations, one of which revealed that the plane left a Boeing factory. without the four bolts needed to hold the door stopper in place.
Since then, Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges for misleading the Federal Aviation Administration during the initial investigation into the Max. As part of its agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the company will have to operate under the supervision of a court-appointed monitor.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Chris Isidore contributed reporting.
