Boeing 737 Max Jets Under Inspection After Loose Bolts Discovered
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is keeping a close eye on inspections of Boeing 737 MAX jets after the aircraft manufacturer requested airlines to check for loose bolts in the rudder control system. The request came after an undisclosed international airline discovered a bolt with a missing nut during routine maintenance. Additionally, Boeing found an undelivered aircraft with an improperly tightened nut.
Boeing has recommended operators to inspect their 737 Max airplanes and report any findings. The company assured the issue identified on the particular airplane has been remedied and stated that the inspections, which should be completed within the next two weeks, would take about two hours per airplane.
The aircraft maker has delivered over 1,370 of the 737 Max jets globally, with several U.S. airlines such as United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines operating the aircraft. Boeing confirmed that no in-service incidents have been attributed to lost or missing hardware and believes the airplanes can continue to fly safely.
This recent issue with the 737 Max jets is the latest in a series of safety concerns that have plagued the plane. In a period of five months between October 2018 and March 2019, two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max aircraft claimed the lives of 346 people. This led the FAA to ground the plane for 20 months, resulting in significant financial losses for Boeing. Investigations found that both crashes were caused in part by a flawed automated flight control system called MCAS.
Richard Aboulafia, managing director of aerospace consulting firm Aerodynamic Advisory, noted that while the loose bolts and the need for inspections are different from the MCAS debacle, they highlight continued serious problems with the production ramp, both at Boeing and with its suppliers. In spite of this, Aboulafia stated that the problem is relatively insignificant and does not pose a significant safety risk, unlike the MCAS issue.