Reported today on The Seattle Times For the full article visit:
FAA directive requires Boeing to inspect and fix a manufacturing defect on all 737 MAXs
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prepared an airworthiness directive requiring all Boeing 737 MAXs to be inspected for a manufacturing defect the jetmaker discovered in December.
All MAXs found to have the defect will have to be fixed before they can fly again, although Boeing doesn't expect this requirement to add further delay to the aircraft's return to service.
The FAA directive was posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday, a day ahead of formal publication.
The manufacturing defect, which was reported by the Seattle Times and others in January, arose when mechanics working on the final finish of the airplanes, polishing the carbon composite engine pods at the end of the production process, ground away some underlying layers of metal foil in the upper part of the pod that are necessary for lightning protection.
The error leaves the engine pods, called nacelles, vulnerable to a lightning strike, "which could potentially lead to a dual engine power loss event," the FAA directive states.
If not addressed, the condition could result in a forced landing away from an airport "due to loss of thrust control on both engines," the FAA added.
The work required to fix the issue is just 12 hours per airplane - five hours to do the inspection and a further seven hours if a fix is required, the FAA estimated.
Boeing spokesman Bernard Choi said Tuesday that the company is "coordinating with our customers to complete the work prior to safe return to service."
He added that Boeing's projection that the MAX should be cleared to fly by mid-summer is not affected by this additional work, which can be done while the planes are on the ground awaiting approval of the design update
0 Comments