CNN reports Boeing is asking all 737 MAX operators to check for potentially loose bolts in the rudder system after discovering issues on current aircraft.

 

One Gone on International Airline Frame, Another Loose Pre-Delivery

The bulletin comes after two reported incidents without any injuries or fatalities. The first was aboard an “unnamed international airline,” where they found a bolt not attached by a nut to a rudder-control linkage mechanism during routine service. The second issue was found in a pre-delivery airframe, where the nut had loosened from the bolt but did not come off completely.

 

Although the two issues were fixed, Boeing is asking every airline with 737 MAX aircraft in their fleet to check for the loose or missing nut issue. The Chicago-based company alerted the Federal Aviation Administration to the issue on Thursday, December 28, 2023.

 

According to the FAA, the fix could take up to two hours, and airlines are expected to report their inspection progress to the agency as they complete the inspection. While airlines are expected to check the nuts and bolts on aircraft currently in service, Boeing will check all aircraft leaving the factory before delivery.

 

The loose bolt issue is the latest engineering problem to plague the 737 MAX since its introduction to service. The next-generation airframe was grounded in 2019 after two fatal accidents were attributed to the MCAS system. It took over a year for the FAA to once again re-certify the 737 MAX for airworthiness, but not without numerous concerns coming to light.

 

The 737 MAX issue is unrelated to Alaska Airlines’ unexpected grounding of other 737-line aircraft the week after Christmas 2023.

Source: frugal travel guy