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In this Feb. 5, 2018, file photo, a double-tipped wingtip, known as a “winglet,” is seen on the tail of a Boeing 737 MAX 7, the newest version of Boeing’s best-selling plane, while is shown during an employee and media debut of the new aircraft in Renton, Washington. Boeing is asking airlines to inspect their 737 Max planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system, the planemaker and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed this week. December 29, 2023. Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File
Boeing is asking airlines to inspect their 737 Max planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system, the planemaker and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed this week.
The FAA said it would be “closely monitoring” specific inspections. The agency said Thursday that Boeing issued its inspection guidance to airlines after an international operator found a bolt with a nut missing during routine maintenance. In another case, Boeing also discovered an undelivered aircraft that had an improperly tightened nut.
“The problem identified on the particular aircraft has been resolved,” the Arlington, Virginia, company told The Associated Press on Friday. “Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend operators inspect their 737 MAX aircraft and report any findings to us.”
Boeing added that it will continue to update customers and federal regulators on progress.
The FAA said it will remain in contact with Boeing and affected airlines while inspections are underway, and will potentially “consider additional actions based on any additional discoveries of loose or missing hardware.”
According to Boeing, there have been no in-flight incidents caused by this condition to date, noting that routine checks of crews would indicate whether the rudder was not functioning properly before the plane left the gate.
The company added that all planes Boeing will deliver in the future will undergo an inspection (estimated to last about two hours per plane) before delivery.
US airlines with 737 Max aircraft in their fleet include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. These four carriers told The Associated Press on Friday that they do not expect operational impacts. Southwest, for example, said it was currently performing all of these inspections during routine nightly maintenance.
No firm timeline for inspections was provided for each airline, but Alaska said it hoped to complete the process by the first half of January.
Boeing’s 737 Max planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months after two crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people. The investigations focused on an automated flight control system that pushed the plane’s nose down based on faulty sensor readings. Boeing did not inform pilots or airlines about the system until after the first crash.
The FAA, which also faced criticism for the way it approved Max planes before these deadly crashes, has since taken steps to provide a more detailed certification process for large planes and the required safety disclosures.
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Boeing asks airlines to inspect 737 Max jets for potential loose bolt